Set Fire to the Rain
by Beccabo
Summary: After a fateful meeting, Dr. Katie Giordano is tasked with saving Steve McGarrett's life. But when Katie's son decides that Steve is the missing piece in his mother's life, the question soon becomes who is really saving who?  Steve/OC pairing
1. Chapter 1

**Genre**: Romance/drama

**Tagline**: _"I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it. It was dark and I was over, until you kissed my lips and you saved me."_

**Summary**: The last thing Dr. Katie Giordano was looking for was love. With a ten year old son to raise by herself and a thriving medical career, her plate is as full as she wants it to be. And now an arrogant new patient is butting his sexy nose into both her professional and personal life! But Katie's son, Matt, seems to think that something is missing from both of their lives. So when Matt sets out to fill that void, the pair realize that they've lived for so long without a man in either of their lives that neither of them could admit how much they both need someone to depend on. And they also learn some interesting things about life, love, and the everlasting bonds of family and friendship.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hello to all of my old and new friends! I'm back with another Hawaii Five O fic. This one will be much different from "The Ex Factor" since it will be mainly romance and not too much action. But since the romance will be with our beloved Commander McGarrett, I hope you'll stick around and read this one! If any of you have read my Blue Bloods fic that I abandoned when I ran out of storyline ideas, this fic will sound familiar to you since I am going to recycle some of the storyline into this fic. I couldn't salvage that one but I have been able to create a new one.<em>**

**_Once again I am creating an original character to interact with our favorite team, although in this universe the character of Lori Weston does not exist. I wish that were true in my tv viewing universe, but that's a story for another day. I will, however, be using the characters of Lt. Commander Joe White and Chin's fiancée Malia Weston._**

**_So, let's dive right in to this fic! Since we already know a lot about our story's hero (Steve), I am beginning with a little background on our heroine (Katie). But don't worry, Steve will be along soon enough! I hope you enjoy…_**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One – Manic Monday Morning<strong>

"_I have a "carpe diem" mug and, truthfully, at six in the morning the words do not make me want to seize the day. They make me want to slap a dead poet."_

~Joanne Sherman

"Matthew James Giordano!"

The sleepy, ten year old boy slowly opened his dark, brown eyes and glanced at the digital alarm clock next to his bed.

7:20.

He groaned and burrowed back underneath his covers, pulling them up over his head and tried to drown out the sound of his mother's persistent voice.

No such luck.

"Matthew James! Get your lazy butt out of bed right now! You are going to miss the bus!"

The voice was closer this time and Matt knew that it would only be a matter of time before his mom was standing in his room, yelling at him to get up. But he was so tired...

"Matthew!"

She was standing right over him this time and before he could respond, he felt the warmth of his covers being jerked off of his snuggled up body.

"Mom!" He mumbled, grabbing for his pillow to cover his suddenly exposed head. "I'm tired."

But Dr. Katie Giordano was not in the mood for her son's antics this morning. Grabbing the pillow from him and tossing it across the room, she reprimanded, "Then you should have gone to bed when I told you to last night instead of sneaking downstairs to watch T.V."

"No one in my class has to go to bed at 9:00," Matt mumbled, once again bringing up the bedtime that he believed was too strict. "It's stupid."

"No, this is stupid," Katie remarked, moving across the room and ignoring the bedtime remark. She didn't have time to get into that argument with him this morning. Opening up the wooden blinds on his bedroom windows to let in the morning sunlight, she continued, "You are in fifth grade and have a perfectly good alarm clock sitting right there next to your bed. I should not have to come in here to get you out of bed..."

"So don't."

"You should be responsible enough to get yourself up and ready for school in the morning without me," his mother continued, ignoring his mumbled remarks as she opened the blinds on a second window.

The sunlight poured into his darkened bedroom and Matt groaned again as he covered his face with his hands. He listened as his mother moved around his room, but made no move to get up as he heard her walk into his adjoining bathroom and turn on the shower for him. Remaining in his bed with his eyes closed, he heard her come back into his room and could feel her standing over him but couldn't stop himself from opening one of his eyes to look up at her.

"I'm sick."

Putting her hands on her hips, she shot back, "Get up."

"I really am sick!" He protested, biting back a grin. Having a doctor for a mother, he knew that excuse wouldn't work before the words were even out of his mouth. But it didn't stop him from trying. "Feel my head."

"I am not playing around, Matty," Katie answered, glaring at him. "I have an important staff meeting at the hospital this morning, so neither one of us can be late. Now, get up."

Matt laid there for another minute before he finally dragged his tired body up into the sitting position. Knowing that she would not leave his room until she saw him walk into the bathroom, he slowly stood up and said, "One of these mornings, I really am going to be sick," he said as he trudged toward his bathroom door and then remarked over his shoulder, "And then you're going to be sorry."

She shook her head at him and turned around to leave the room, muttering, "Just hurry up so you won't miss the bus."

"I won't miss the bus!" he told her before shutting the bathroom door firmly between them.

Twenty minutes later a freshly showered and fully awake Matt bounded down the stairs into the kitchen of the Hawaiian home he shared with his mother. Katie was standing in front of the toaster, using it for a mirror as she hastily applied some mauve lip gloss to her lips. Matt shook his head and remarked, "We have a hundred mirrors in this house and you have to do that here?"

"This lip-stick was down here in my purse," the trauma surgeon explained as her son pulled open the cabinets in search of something to have for breakfast. "And this was the closest thing, so get off my case."

"Get off my case," Matt mimicked her as he opened another cabinet. Shaking his head again, he pulled out a bag and began opening it up.

"Cheet-ohs are not breakfast," Katie scolded when she realized what he had chosen.

"It's all we have," he shot back, popping a stale, cheesy snack into his mouth. When she frowned at him, he pulled open the cereal cabinet to reveal an empty space where the cereal and pop-tarts were supposed to be. "And even if we did have cereal, we probably don't have any milk." Matt moved over to the refrigerator and opened the door to prove his point. "See? I drank the last of it last night."

"I'm sorry, buddy," Katie apologized quickly. "I forgot to go to the grocery store."

"That's what you said yesterday," he muttered before popping another Cheet-oh into his mouth. Then he asked, "What about lunch?"

"What about it?"

"Did you make me any?"

"I put twenty five dollars on your school lunch account last week," Katie reminded him, pouring her morning coffee into a travel mug, "Eat lunch at school."

Matt watched as his mother went about her daily coffee routine and said, "It's Thursday. They serve fish sticks on Thursday."

"So?"

"I hate fish sticks."

"You do not," the pretty brunette chided, twisting the cap onto her travel mug, "You love fish."

"I like fish...fried fish, grilled fish, and even that fish stew you make...but I do not like fish sticks," Matt protested, wrinkling up his freckled little nose.

"Well," Katie countered, checking her reflection in the toaster again, "don't they serve sandwiches in the cafeteria, too?"

Matt quickly checked the menu that was hanging on the refrigerator and then said, "Peanut butter and jelly. I don't like their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...they put too much peanut butter on them."

"Well, you'll survive," Katie remarked lightly. "Now go get your bookbag before you miss your bus."

"I won't miss my bus," Matt said for the second time that morning. "Did you sign my permission slip?"

"Permission slip?" she asked absently. Her mind was definitely elsewhere this morning.

"Mom!" Matt cried in exasperation. "My permission slip! To go to the Naval Airship and Museum. It's due today."

"I thought we already did that."

"You gave me the money but forgot to sign the permission slip," Matt reminded her, digging around in his bookbag for the half-sheet of paper in question. "Mr. Byrnes says I can't go without a parent signature...whether I paid or not."

"Well, that doesn't seem fair," Katie said, glancing at the clock on the stove. "Okay...give it to me and I'll sign it now."

Matt rolled his eyes and shoved the permission slip across the counter to her. He watched as she scanned it and then signed her name at the bottom before handing it back to him. Kissing him on the forehead, she said hurriedly, "Okay...you're all set. Now get out to that bus stop before you miss your bus."

"I am not going to miss my bus," he grumbled as he headed out the door.

"Have a good day at school!" Katie called after him as he closed the door behind him. "I love you!"

She thought she heard him mutter a response, but she didn't have time to think twice about it. Katie, a well respected trauma surgeon at Honolulu Medical Center, was meeting the new chief of trauma surgery this morning at a meeting with the hospital board of directors and she couldn't be late. As one of the few female trauma surgeons on the island, she had been through these staff changes before and each time it took a little getting used to.

"I was just getting used to arguing with Dr. Akino," she muttered to herself as she gathered her coat and her briefcase, "I had him right where I wanted him and now they give me some new jackass who thinks he's God's gift to..."

Katie's little rant was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening. She looked up to see her son walking back into the kitchen.

"Don't tell me..." she said with a frown.

Matt looked up at his mother with a sheepish grin on his face and informed her, "I missed the bus."

_**Fifteen minutes later…**_

"Come on, people."

Katie impatiently tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of her white Honda Pilot SUV and silently swore at the line of traffic sitting in front of her. She knew this would happen. There was always a line of parents outside the school to drop off their kids in the morning and she was stuck in the middle of the chaos.

Matt, sitting in the front seat and playing with the radio, simply smirked up at his mother as she continued to complain to herself, "Just open the door and let the kid get out of the car. What is so hard about that? What could possibly be taking so long?"

"Does it make them go faster when you mutter at them?" Matt finally asked, grinning up at her.

"No," she shot back at him with a grin, "but it makes me feel better." Reaching over to muss his hair, she added, "Who is the parent here, anyway?"

"Parent?" Matt asked sarcastically. "You're more like a raving lunatic this morning."

"And you're stuck with me."

"Lucky me," he added, rolling his eyes at her. It was in moments like these that he reminded Katie so much of his father. Changing the subject, he asked, "So, this new doctor you have to work with today is a jerk?"

"Probably," Katie said, moving her car up again.

"You mean, you haven't met him yet?" Matt asked, looking at his mother curiously. "Then how do you know he's going to be a jerk?"

"I know his type…"

"Dr. Akino wasn't a jerk," he interrupted, "So maybe this new guy won't be either."

Katie grinned. She loved his ten year old logic. And she also knew when she had been put in her place.

"Maybe he won't be," Katie agreed. "I should give him a chance, shouldn't I?"

Matt nodded and grinned at her as his mother sighed and said, "I guess I don't handle change well, Matty. I had just gotten so used to working with Dr. Akino and we've developed such a good working relationship...and now I have to get used to this new guy."

"Moving back to Hawaii from Virginia Beach a few years ago was a big change," Matt reminded her and then added, "And that turned out okay."

"Yes, it did," she agreed. Smiling at him, the doctor asked him, "How did you get to be such a good kid?"

He shrugged off her compliment and reached down to get his bookbag when he saw that they were approaching the drop off spot.

"Thanks for the ride, mom," Matt said as he opened the car door.

"Anytime kid," Katie replied, leaning over to receive the kiss he planted on her cheek, "Do you think you can manage to be on time for the bus to go home?"

Matt screwed up his face at her sarcasm and said, "I'm not riding the bus home. I have football practice today after school and Danny's mom is picking us up at 5:00."

"Right," Katie said, remembering the day's schedule. "Well, have a good day at school and a good practice. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, hopping out of the car. "Sorry if I made you late for your meeting."

Katie waved as he ran up the sidewalk toward the Kauluwela Elementary School and then somehow managed to maneuver her SUV to the exit of the parking lot without running into anyone. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number of her colleague and best friend, Dr. Malia Weston.

"Where are you?" Malia demanded when she picked up on her end of the phone line, "I thought we were going over the Gracie DuBois case before the meeting this morning."

"And good morning to you, too," Katie chirped into her phone as she joined the line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot onto the main road that led to the hospital, "Matt missed the bus and I am running late. Save me a seat, okay?"

"Of course," Malia said. "Want me to get you a cup of coffee, too? I don't know if we'll make it through this circus without large doses of caffeine."

"Now I remember why I love you so much," Katie said with a grin, looking down at her already empty travel mug, "Coffee would be wonderful." Switching her cell phone to her other ear, Katie asked, "So, how are the wedding plans coming along?"

"Surprisingly well…Chin is actually helping with some of the planning," Malia said, referring to her fiancé of two months, Detective Chin Ho Kelly. Katie could hear the smile in her friend's voice as she added, "After everything we've been through, I never thought we would get here."

"I did," Katie teased. "You and Chin are the real deal…and you can't mess with true love."

"And speaking of the wedding," Malia continued and Katie could hear the sudden mischief in her voice as she said, "You are finally going to get to meet Chin's boss, Steve. No excuses this time. I think that you two would be perfect…"

"Shit!"

As Katie pulled out of the school parking lot, she instantly felt her car collide with another. Pulling off to the side of the road, she muttered into her phone, "Malia, I've gotta go. See you in a bit."

Hanging up her phone and looking in her driver's side window at the silver Camaro that had pulled off right beside her, the petite doctor got out of the car in a huff as she muttered, "Damn. This is all I need today."

A tall, dark haired man got out of the driver's side of the Camaro...looking just as pissed off as Katie felt...and walked toward her with his jaw set in anger.

"Don't you look where you're going?" Katie demanded, walking right up to the man and realizing that she only came up to his chin. Raising her own chin to look into his face, she added, "You drove right into me!"

The man had no patience for the little spitfire in front of him and asked incredulously, "I hit you? I don't think so!" Gesturing to the point of impact between their two cars, he said, "You pulled right out of that parking lot without looking!"

"I did not!" Katie shot back indignantly.

"Well if you weren't so busy talking on your cell phone and fixing your make-up, then you'd remember what just happened." he said angrily. "You pulled out..."

"Talking on my cell phone and fixing my make-up?" Katie repeated in anger. "Is that some sort of sexist remark?"

"No," he said dryly, crossing his arms over his muscular chest, "It's an observation."

Katie followed his gaze and felt her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink as she realized that her cell phone was still in her hand. Pursing her lips, she said lamely, "Well, I wasn't fixing my make-up."

"Obviously," he shot back, taking a moment to look at her.

That remark rubbed her the wrong way. _What the hell did he mean by that? _ Furiously, she sputtered out, "Well, you know what...there's nothing like meeting a gentleman."

"Or," he quipped at her snidely, "you could say...running into one."

"Great," Katie shot back at him. "You're a smart-ass on top of everything else. I already have one of those in my life, thank you very much. But he's ten...what's you're excuse?"

The owner of the silver Camaro stared hard at her before Katie swore she saw the corners of his mouth turn up into a bit of a half smile. He shook his head at her and then went to survey the damage done to both of their cars.

"Look," he said, examining the front bumper of his sports car, "let's just forget this ever happened, okay? I'm late..."

"Well so am I!" Katie exclaimed, not believing the audacity of this man. "But I know better than to leave the scene of an accident without calling the police..."

"Lady, I am the police!" he said, running a frustrated hand through his hair as he scowled at her, "And there is no damage to your car! Isn't that why you bought that gas-guzzling tank?"

"As opposed to your much better 'mid-life crisis' mobile?" Katie shot back, not at all sure why they were suddenly insulting each other's cars.

"Mid-life crisis?" He repeated, shaking his head in disgust. He then paused for a moment and then continued in a more even temper, "Look, why don't you just quit while you're ahead? My car is fine, your car is fine and we're both late. So let's just get back in our 'fine' cars and get away from each other?"

"Fine!" Katie spat at him, marching back to the driver's side of her car. As she watched him pull away ahead of her, she muttered to herself, mimicking his earlier statements, _"Lady, I am the police!"_ and then as she put her car in gear and checked the oncoming traffic, she added, "What a jerk."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you friends for reading and reviewing the first chapter of this new fic! You guys are the best! I'm so glad you like Katie and Matt...that is essential for this story! Before we move on to this chapter, I have to explain a few things…**_

_**Obviously, I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. I know enough medical jargon (mainly from watching too much Grey's Anatomy and reading fan fics) to get through the chapters but if there are any medical professionals out there reading, I know that there are errors! Also, I know that trauma surgeons usually just patch the patients up in the ER and send them up for the specialty surgeons to repair the rest of the damage. But, for storyline purposes, Dr. Katie is going to see Steve's surgery all the way through to the end, including recovery! Gotta take a little creative license every now and then…**_

_**I think that Malia works in Oncology on the show but I have made her a pediatrician for this story's purposes. And I have been informed that the show changed her name for some reason this season, but since Lori Weston doesn't exist in this universe I'm going to leave her as Dr. Malia Weston for this fic. **_

_**And now that the business is out of the way, we're on to chapter two...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two – The Heart of the Matter<strong>

_The physician should look upon the patient as a besieged city and try to rescue him with every means that art and science place at his command._

~Alexander of Tralles

_Twelve hours later, Emergency Room of Honolulu Medical Center…_

"Dr. Giordano!"

"Katie!"

The surgeon's mane of wavy chestnut hair whipped around as she turned to see the head nurse, Lindsay Donovan, and her friend Dr. Malia Weston simultaneously calling to her from an open exam area.

_No_, she thought to herself, _I am not going to get caught up in this case. _She was supposed to be home for Matty two hours ago. Luckily, he was staying over at his friends' house until Katie was able to pick him up on her way home from work. And she still hadn't gone to the grocery store yet.

But then she noticed the blood.

The deep burgundy stains were almost the color of the dark wine Katie liked to enjoy after a long day at the hospital and covered the little girls' hands and wrists, with spatters reaching up to her exposed elbows. But the circles of blood that stained Gracie DuBois' knees were different...they were nearly black and had seeped through the soft pink material of her nightgown and dried in a sticky mess on her pale skin.

"It's not her blood," Nurse Donovan reported quietly, catching the alarmed look on Katie's face. "We've given her a complete exam and there are no injuries anywhere on this child."

"Well, whose blood is it?"

Malia and Lindsay shrugged in unison while Malia whispered, "She was left in the waiting room like this…"

"Hi, Gracie," Katie said quietly as she greeted the five year old patient warmly, not wanting her friend to finish that ghastly sentence. Pasting a smile on her face that she usually reserved for Matty, the surgeon asked, "You're up a bit late tonight, aren't you?"

There was no response from the tiny blond pixie of a girl. No smile, no nod of the head, no acknowledgement of the fact that Katie had even spoken to her. Without looking up at the nurse or either of the doctors that stood nearby, the surgeon quickly noticed that Gracie's eyes weren't focused. Not on her, not on the nurse's desk, not on anything in *_this_* world, at any rate. Katie bent down until she was directly in the little girl's line of sight and tried speaking to her again.

"Gracie?" she asked quietly. "I am Dr. Giordano. You came in last month with your mommy and I fixed your arm. Do you remember?"

Again there was no response. Those beautiful blue eyes simply stared right through Katie as though she weren't even there.

"Gracie?" Katie questioned again, taking her pen light out of her pocket and flashing a stream of light into her patient's eyes. Gracie, her head tilted, continued looking out into the abyss, her stare quite glassy. But it wasn't a stare…not really. It was unfocused, but yet fixed on some unknown sight that only young Gracie seemed to be able to see.

Reaching out to touch Gracie's hair gently, Katie cleared her throat and tried to get rid of the lump that had suddenly found its way there. The beautiful child didn't even twitch when the doctor stroked her cheek. Katie swallowed hard and put her fingers underneath Gracie's chin, forcing her to look up. The rest of her body didn't move…not even an eyebrow twitched. And then, almost against the little girl's will, Gracie's eyes shifted and she was looking directly into Katie's eyes and face.

Those eyes.

They looked at the doctor with intensity, as one would look at an old school friend, half forgotten, from long ago.

_Who are you? _They seemed to say as they searched the dark haired doctor's face for some clue.

"Gracie?" Katie tried again, encouraged by the sudden flash of emotion. "Can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Katie took the child's smaller, blood stained hand into her larger one and felt that both of their hands were as cold as ice. There was no movement or response and so she took on a more urgent tone as she repeated firmly, "It's Dr. Giordano, Gracie. You came into the ER with your mommy…do you remember that?"

The young surgeon paused and waited for a response that didn't come before she continued, "You liked the color of my scrubs, remember? They were pink and you told me that it was almost the same color as your bedroom at home. We took all the little pieces of glass out of your am and then we took pictures of it with my special machine. If you remember that, nod your head sweetie."

Both Malia and Katie looked down at her expectantly, but there was still no response. Katie gave up the questions as she took Gracie's arm and began moving it in circular motions that you would see in an exercise class. Her arm remained in place when the doctor released it, stretched out in front of her until Katie lowered it tenderly.

Malia's voice caught in her throat momentarily before she informed her friend, "She was curled up in a ball on one of the chairs in the waiting room."

Katie drew in a deep breath and looked down at Gracie again. Exhaling slowly, she said, "We're going to have to run some tests on her, but my initial gut reaction is that she is in some state of shock." Looking back up at the two women, she explained, "Sometimes when a child…or an adult even…sees something that they can't handle, the brain protects itself by shutting down. It's like a built in defense mechanism…protecting us from things we may not be ready to comprehend."

"Do you think she saw her mother…?" Nurse Lindsay asked softly.

"I don't know," Katie answered just as softly. "But that blood she is covered in…" Her voice trailed off and she exchanged a worried look with Malia before she continued in a stronger voice, "Somebody look up the address on her file and send HPD over to the house to find out what the hell is going on…"

The surgeon's commands were cut short as the Emergency Room suddenly erupted in activity. Paramedics burst through the doors from the ambulance bay, with a male paramedic riding in on the accompanying gurney and administering CPR to the lifeless form strapped below him. Katie immediately sprang into action and began running alongside the gurney as it headed toward the trauma room and the paramedic began shouting out the vital statistics, "We've got a gunshot wound to the chest. Male. Mid to late thirties. Pulse one-fifty and thready. B.P. seventy-five over forty."

Katie glanced down at the man on the gurney and caught her breath.

"Oh my God," she breathed, "I know this guy."

"Do you need to take yourself off this case, Dr. Giordano?" The new chief of trauma surgery, Dr. Jonathan Cramer, suddenly appeared on the other side of the gurney and was looking at her intently as he awaited her response.

"No," Katie answered quickly, regaining her composure, "I just ran into him this morning…literally. I don't even know his name. I'm good to go here…."

"It's Steve!" Malia suddenly cried out from somewhere behind her, "Oh my God, that's Commander Steve McGarrett…Chin's boss!" Katie could hear the fear in her friends' voice as she continued, "Where's Chin? Where is Detective Chin Ho Kelly of Hawaii Five-O?"

There was blood everywhere, all over the Commander and dripping onto the floor in a steady stream…wide and thick and draining away toward the grate at one end of the room. The former Navy S.E.A.L. was inexplicably missing a boot and aside from the gaping chest wound he had suffered, there was not another scratch on him. Katie pried one of his fists apart to find a St. Cristopher's medallion that had left an imprint on his pale skin.

The symbol of protection.

Commander McGarrett's shirt had already been cut off and the bullet hole in the left side of his chest was deceptively small. That could mean only one thing—the bullet had penetrated the heart. Katie felt a rush of adrenaline. Surgery was the only possible course of action and they had no time to waste.

"Get the surgical tray," she barked to a nearby nurse who was helping one of the paramedics fit the inflatable MAST trousers on the man's legs. "And get me two units of O-negative packed cells."

From out of nowhere, Dr. Cramer produced the surgical tray and the instruments rattled against one another in her quick hands.

"Katie…" Malia cried again, but Katie ignored her friend's cries.

"Get out of here, Malia," Katie shouted, "Go find Chin."

"Fifty over thirty," Nurse Lindsay reported, "I can't get a radial pulse."

"Hang normal saline wide open. And do a cutdown, please, Dr. Cramer," Katie said. This man needed blood fast. "Start a bicarb bolus," she said to Lindsay, "And epinephrine. And get that blood hung."

The beautiful surgeon turned back to the patient on the table and did the cut-down herself, slipping the scalpel into the blue vein in the man's muscular arm. She picked up the large bore needle and fit it into the vein. Then Katie began swabbing Betadine on the man's chest and side before she slipped her hands into the sterile gloves Lindsay held out to her.

"Katie, he's my friend," Malia, who was still in the trauma room, whispered quietly, never taking her eyes off of Steve's pale face. "He and Chin…"

"We're going to do our best for him, Malia," Katie said steadily and then added in a slightly harsher tone, "Go find Chin. Now."

Malia finally obeyed her friends' quiet command and left the room as Katie picked up a second scalpel from the tray and set it down between the man's ribs as she felt all her concentration flow into the task ahead of her. She bore down. No blood at all. She cut deeper, through the layers of muscle, until she reached the heart cavity. Blood suddenly gushed from the wound she'd created. It poured down the front of her scrubs and onto the floor, and the paramedic standing nearest her let out a moan.

"No BP," Dr. Cramer suddenly said. "And no pulse."

Katie looked up at the flat green line on the monitor behind the patient's head. She felt a film of sweat break out across her own forehead. They say entire lifetimes can flash across the silver screen of one's mind in a matter of seconds. Like snapshots, quick and fast and vivid. As her eyes took everything in, Katie knew she should feel something, but had no idea what. Nothing penetrated her haze of exhaustion, save an odd numbness that filled her weakened limbs, mind, and heart. There was only the dull ache pressing in her chest to remind her that she was capable of emotion at all.

They were losing him. She had to widen the incision.

"Rib spreader!" she called out, "We have to crack him open because the bullet went right through the aorta. And give me a 4.0 prolene on an RB-1 needle. We've got to stop this hemorrhage."

Once the wound was wide enough, Katie slipped her hand inside and she cautiously curved her fingers around the man's heart, then slid her thumb over the surface, hunting for the bullet hole. She found it quickly—a little dimple in the heart's smooth surface—and held her thumb over it to block the flow of blood. Then she found the exit wound in the back of the heart. She covered it with her middle finger and felt the heart contract in her palm. She looked at the monitor as a cheer went up in the room.

"We've got a pulse!" Jonathan called out, ""Start internal compressions and I'll cross-clamp this aorta."

Jonathan had to work around her fingers but if she moved just a fraction of an inch, the blood would pour out from the bullet holes. Still she held her position while Dr. Cramer slipped a tiny piece of felt beneath her thumb and stitched it into place. But the exit hole was not so easy to close. It was large and nearly impossible to reach without damaging the heart in the process.

She watched the lines deepen in her new bosses' forehead as he struggled with the needle.

"Come on, Commander," she whispered to her unconscious patient, "I have a feeling that you have survived much worse than this. Work with us, okay?"

And as Katie was cooing to the lifeless man on the table, she was also massaging his heart to keep the blood pumping while Jonathan continued to repair the damage done to the back of his heart.

"Done," Dr. Cramer finally said, "Autotransfuse from the cellsaver and charge the internal paddles. Give him another five of EPI."

Katie let go of the Commander's muscular organ, grabbed the internal defibrilator, and shocked his heart.

"He's sinus tach," the nurse read out, "Pressure is up to 90."

"Ok, hang another unit and call the OR to let them know we have an open chest wound coming up," Katie called out as she draped a covering over McGarrett's chest and started to wheel him out of the trauma room, "And have someone call my father to go pick up Matty…I have a feeling this is going to be a long surgery and none of us are going anywhere for awhile."

As they passed the chairs where Malia was seated on their way toward the elevators, she looked up hopefully and Katie smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she said, "He's not out of the woods yet, but he's out of immediate danger for now. Did you get a hold of Chin?"

"He's fine," Malia smiled, the relief washing over her face, "He's on his way here with his team."

"Okay, well we're taking him up to the OR and we'll be in there for a little while…there's a lot of internal damage, so when they get here take them up to the waiting room and I'll come out to update you as soon as I can," Katie told her, taking a moment to look down at Commander McGarrett's handsome face, "Five-0, huh? Why wasn't he wearing a vest?"

"It was an ambush," Malia told her somberly, "They were asking some routine questions when the guy pulled out a gun."

"You've really gotta love that Detective Kelly of yours to put up with the dangers of his job," Katie mused, shaking her head and smiling at her friend, "I was never any good at that part."

"Nice work, doctor," Dr. Cramer interrupted, coming up to the gurney and clapping a large hand down on Katie's shoulder, "You certainly lived up to your reputation. But the hard part is only just beginning."

"Yes, sir," Katie replied, smiling again at Malia as she boarded the elevator with Steve's gurney and her new boss. As the elevator doors closed in front of her, Katie looked down at her hand where it rested on the side bars of the hospital bed. She turned it palm side up and thought she could still feel it—the life, the warmth of Commander Steve McGarrett's heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – The Waiting Game**

"_Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work."_

_~ Peter Marshall_

_7__th__ floor of the Honolulu Medical Center, an hour later…_

They rode together in silence as the three remaining members of the Five-O team watched the number strip above the elevator doors illuminate with each passing floor. Finally, when the number seven lit up and the elevator doors opened, the trio rushed out onto the floor ready to find some answers.

"Chin!"

As soon as he got off the elevator, Malia ran into the waiting arms of her fiancée, Detective Chin Kelly, and felt them close in a strong embrace around her. It was only then that she let the emotions that had been welling up inside of her escape and her petite frame began to shake from the sobs that she released. Chin held her tight and soothed her hair with his rough hands as he whispered soothingly, "Shhh. It's okay. He's going to be okay."

Detective Danny Williams, Steve's partner, tore his eyes away from the sad sight and found Steve's mentor, Lt. Commander Joe White, who had arrived only moments before the team, standing nearby. Joe's normally sparkling eyes were blank as he approached them with a weary look. The look on his face told Danny that he didn't even have to put voice to the questions in his mind, but he felt the need to speak anyway.

"How is he?" he asked hoarsely, as the third team member, Officer Kono Kalakaua, slowly drew in a deep breath and silently gripped his hand.

"He's still in surgery," Joe reported quietly, "The trauma surgeon on duty in the ER rushed him right up to the operating room after stabilizing him downstairs. The bullet went through his heart and by some miracle they were able to save him. But it's still lodged in his chest somewhere and they're working on removing it."

"And they haven't told you anything since then?" Danny asked, anger beginning to cloud his face. "We've been at that damn crime scene for almost an hour. Don't they know that we need to know what is going on?"

"Where do you want the doctors to be, Danny?" Chin asked as gently as he could given the situation, "Out here with us or in there with Steve?"

"As soon as there is something to report to us, they will." Malia reassured him, collecting herself and then rubbing the New Jersey detective's arm protectively, "But I'll talk to some of the nurses and see what I can find out." With a reassuring smile, she added, "The surgeon, Katie Giordano, is one of my best friends. And aside from that, she's a fantastic surgeon...the best around. Katie is fiery and passionate about her patients but cool as a cucumber in the O.R."

"That sounds like a good combination, right?" Kono asked nervously.

"Right," Malia agreed, leading the team over to a group of chairs in the waiting area, "Plus, she is as stubborn as Steve is…she won't let him give up."

Three hours later, the team was still in the waiting room without information. Danny had been on his phone the entire time, keeping up with the investigation into Steve's shooting while the rest of them paced the floors of the dark and empty waiting room. Joe, the least patient of the bunch, had sent Malia out to the nurse's station in search of information at least once every 20 minutes but she always came back with the same story..."The Commander is still in surgery and the doctors will come out to give us an update as soon as there is something to report. For now, no news is good news."

Finally, just as Joe was about to send Malia off again, a young, brown haired doctor in emerald green scrubs came around the corner into the waiting room. Her chestnut colored waves were pulled back into a lazy ponytail and her normally bright eyes looked exhausted from the long surgery. The surgeon pasted a determined look on her pretty face as she looked around the waiting area and asked, "Are you the family of Steven McGarrett?"

Malia, who had been sitting with her back towards Katie, suddenly stood up with an anxious look on her face. She was relieved to see that her friend had changed into a pair of clean scrubs before coming out to talk to them…seeing Steve's blood spattered all over the pretty brunette may have been too much for them to handle after the long wait.

As Five-O quickly scrambled up from their chairs and stood up to face the young surgeon one by one, Katie leaned in to give Malia a quick, reassuring hug, accepted a quick kiss on the cheek from Chin, and then surveyed the team with tired eyes.

"Yes," Danny replied, speaking for the team, "we are Commander McGarrett's family."

Katie must have looked skeptical because Joe informed her gruffly, "His parents are both deceased and his sister is traveling overseas, so it may take her a few days to arrive." Crossing his arms over his chest and getting ready to go to battle with the doctor if needed, he added, "Until she gets here, we're the only family he's got."

If Joe was looking for an argument from Katie, he didn't get one. She simply looked over at Chin and Malia, who nodded in affirmation of Joe's statements, then smiled a reassuring smile as she said, "I'm Dr. Katie Giordano."

"Really?" Kono blurted out before she had a chance to censor herself.

Nodding and biting back a grin, Katie answered quickly, "Last time I checked."

"I'm sorry," Kono apologized quickly, although she had simply voiced what the rest of the group had been thinking. "I was just expecting someone…"

Not missing a beat, the young surgeon quipped, "Taller?"

Mary Katherine Giordano was used to reactions like the one from Officer Kalakaua. At 36, she was the youngest trauma surgeon on staff at Honolulu Medical Center but there were many people who mistook her for a candy striper. Blessed with her mother's youthful looks, Katie could get away with telling people she was still in her 20's and no one would question her. She knew that someday her youthful appearance would serve her well, but until that day arrived, she simply learned to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

And at that moment, her sense of humor seemed to work in her favor. The gathered members of the Five-O clan, who had been waiting in tense silence for hours, smiled and chuckled at her remark which served as a nice ice breaker.

Making the introductions, Chin quickly informed her, "These are my partners in Five-O, Officer Kono Kalakaua, Lt. Commander Joe White, and Steve's partner, Detective Danny Williams."

"So, how is he?" Danny asked, getting right down to business. His look was still guarded and it was obvious that he was worried for his partner's condition.

Casually thrusting her hands into the pockets of her white doctor's coat, Katie got down to business as well and answered, "It was touch and go there for awhile. The entry wound was through and through, so we had to repair the damage done to his heart first and then go on a search for the bullet. The trajectory was a little misleading and the bullet was lodged closer to the aorta than we would have liked, so it was an extremely delicate surgery. But your friend is a very lucky man. There was much less damage to the arteries in his chest cavity than we originally thought and we were able to go back in to repair the arterial and tissue damage after removing the bullet. Commander McGarrett is now resting comfortably, but he won't be back out in the field anytime soon." Glancing over at Danny and Chin, she added, "The bullet fragments have already been turned over to the officers who came in with the paramedics and should be on their way to the crime lab as we speak."

Chin nodded tersely and said, "Thanks, doc."

"Can we see him?" Kono asked in relief.

"He's still in recovery…his heart and the rest of his body have been through a lot today and we're going to keep a very close eye on him for the next 48 hours or so." Katie said with a slow shake of her head, "We're going to let him sleep for a few hours, so I suggest you go home and do the same…"

But the moment the words were out of her mouth, Katie knew that she was wasting her breath. The resolved looks on their faces told her that they weren't going anywhere until they had seen for themselves that their boss, and friend, was going to be alright. She knew those looks…she had seen them herself many times, both as a doctor and as a daughter and a sister. She had even seen that look in the mirror a time or two.

Smiling, the brunette let out a chuckle and said, "Yeah, that's what I figured. But I have to say it…it's in the manual."

It was at that moment when she noticed that Detective Williams still had his sidearm strapped to his belt. Pursing her lips, she brought her eyes up to meet his and was surprised by the steely eyed determination she saw there. His partner had been shot. He couldn't protect the Commander, but he was damn well going to protect the rest of his team. Pretending that she hadn't seen what she just saw and avoiding the looks from the rest of the group, Katie continued smoothly, "Okay, so …I'll come out to give you updates when I can. The lousy cafeteria coffee is on the fourth floor but the vending machines with the best candy are up on ten."

And then Dr. Katie Giordano disappeared back behind the doors of the recovery wing.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks again for reading and commenting everyone! It was a cold, rainy day here and so I curled up on the couch with my laptop and got two chapters banged out! **_

_**A little business to clear up...I know that surviving a gunshot wound to the chest sounds pretty far fetched, but I did my research and it is possible! I may not have written it accurately, but I didn't take as much literary license with the situation as you might think. **_

_**I'm sorry to tell you that you will have to wait one more chapter to learn Steve's fate because I had this fuzzy family scene bopping around in my brain and thought that the morning after the surgery was as good a place as any for it. The man is in recovery anyway, so he's not doing anything too interesting! I'm a sucker for daddy's and their girls so I had to include this chapter. I think strong, confident women tend to be products of strong families with good role models, so having Katie's family included gives us that extra little peek into who she is. Plus, it gives a little bit more background on her while still leaving more to be uncovered. I hope you enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four – The Love We Give<strong>

"_There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself."_

~ John Gregory Brown

_The next morning…_

The early morning sun shone through the window as it's golden beams of light greeted the sleeping body curled up in the middle of a large convertible sofa. Katie's body was wrapped tightly in a coverlet of scarlet and gold, like a birthday present, and a mane of soft, chestnut hair could be seen through the opening at the top of the blanket. The soft tuneful call of a bird out for some breakfast could be heard from outside, while two other figures made their way into and out of the room in which she slept undisturbed.

The sound of the pattering of two sets of feet upon the bamboo wood floors could be heard from the adjoining kitchen as the pair flitted around while they accomplished their task. Katie rolled over in her sleep and tried to get comfortable, however she didn't think that sleep was the most appropriate word to describe her current physical state. She found herself floating somewhere in the region between sleep and awake, where you want nothing less than the sandman to hit you with all he's got and whisk you away to a more peaceful place. But she knew that it wasn't going to happen. The tired surgeon shifted onto her side and was rudely awoken by an abrupt clanging of pots against pans. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she blinked until her eyes had adapted to the bright light of her family room. Her hands attacked her eyes to rub away the sleep from them and when she tried to sit up, the confusion caused by her unfamiliar surroundings immediately caused her to flop her back into the sofa cushions.

"Sleep well?"

Katie's eyes flew open again but she was unwilling to move any of her limbs that had been rendered numb by their few hours of inactivity. The drapes had not been completely closed over the windows the evening before, and the bright light of dawn was filtering into the room as it illuminated the smirking face of her father, retired Marine Corps Major General Francis "Frank" James.

"Not really," she replied, returning his smirk when she saw that her tall, broad shouldered father was wearing her hot pink "_I Love to Cook with Wine…Sometimes I Even Put it in the Food_" apron and holding a spatula. "Nice outfit."

"I thought so," Frank replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "I'm guessing you were too tired to even drag yourself upstairs to your bedroom?"

"I barely made it to the sofa," Katie agreed, unwrapping herself from the twisted blanket.

"Sorry, mom," Matt piped up from somewhere on the other side of the kitchen, "We were trying not to wake you."

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Katie asked, "What time is it?"

"7:30."

"And you're awake?" the surgeon asked incredulously, gaping at her son, "And dressed?" Focusing her attention on her father, she asked, "How did you do that?"

"I've been a parent for a very long time," Frank told his disbelieving daughter, handing her a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

But Matt gave his grandfather up in no time flat as he informed his mother with a grin, "He gave me 5 bucks."

"Dad…"

"And now he's giving it back," Frank interrupted his daughter's protest while shooting an evil eye at his big mouthed grandson, "For disloyalty."

But Matt wasn't going to back down quite so easily. Shaking his head as he poured himself a glass of guava juice, the youngster argued, "No way, gramps. You said that if I could be up and dressed and ready for breakfast by 7:30, you'd give me the money." Grinning up at his grandfather, he pointed out logically, "Well, here I am…up, dressed, and ready for breakfast."

"Breakfast," Katie blurted out, biting back a curse word. Looking guiltily at her son, she admitted, "I didn't go to the grocery…"

But she had no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth before her son walked around the counter and presented her a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage, and fresh fruit. Beaming at his mother, Matty announced, "All taken care of."

"Did that come out of my kitchen?" Katie asked in surprise as she put down her coffee to accept the generous plate of food.

"We stopped by the market last night on the way home," her father informed her, popping a slice of pineapple into his mouth.

"What do I owe you?"

"Nonsense," Frank James scoffed as he managed to look supremely insulted. "I raised a stubborn, independent, career woman who doesn't really need her dear old dad anymore, so the least I can do is buy some milk and eggs."

"I'll always need my daddy," Katie reassured him with a quiet smile as she looked lovingly up at the most important man in her life. As the classic example of a "daddy's girl", she was extremely fond of her father and thought him the cleverest and handsomest and most celebrated of men. Frank James had well groomed, aristocratic good looks with piercing dark eyes under a patrician brow, a strong jaw, and dark hair with touches of silver weaving their way throughout. He was trim for a man in his late sixties, with a straight back and square shoulders. The career military man had a serious demeanor most of the time, but when amused…usually by his daughter…his engaging smile and deep throated chuckle were legendary.

Watching his daughter enjoy her breakfast, the General leaned against the counter in the attached kitchen as he asked, "Long night last night, huh?"

Katie nodded and after swallowing a chunk of mango she clarified, "Long surgery."

"Five-O's Commander McGarrett?"

Katie should have known. As the former commanding general of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, there wasn't much that happened on the island that her father didn't know about.

When she nodded again and sipped her coffee, Frank added, "I knew his father, Jack McGarrett." Shaking his head and frowning to himself, he continued, "Shame what happened to that family. They were good people."

As much as she wanted to, Katie didn't ask what he meant by that since it was probably a conversation not to be had in front of Matty. So instead she said, "Strong people, too. I don't believe much in miracles, but there isn't another explanation as to how that man survived a gunshot wound to the heart."

"He had a good surgeon," her father reminded her simply, smiling to himself in equal parts affection and bemusement. Where had his little girl gone and when had this lovely, strong, capable woman taken her place? Taking a sip of his own coffee, he asked, "McGarrett was a S.E.A.L., wasn't he?"

Katie suddenly knew where the conversation was headed and focused on her eggs as she replied, "That's what Malia said."

"Like dad?" Matty asked suddenly, reminding his mother and grandfather that the boy was still in the room.

"Different team, I'm sure."

"Do you think he knew dad?"

The pretty brunette smiled at her son as she quipped, "I didn't get a chance to ask him, sport. But I will, okay?"

As Matt returned his mother's smile before taking his plate into the kitchen, Frank studied his daughter's suddenly expressionless face as he asked, "Tough one?"

"I'm a big girl, dad," she replied testily, taking another bite of her eggs, "I don't go weak in the knees and pine for my late husband every time a wounded soldier ends up on the operating table."

Frank drew in a deep breath at his daughter's quick and ill-tempered response but didn't rise to the bait of arguing with her. Instead he simply said in an even voice, "I think you need some more sleep, Mary Katherine."

Katie bit back her irritable response when she heard the warning tone in her father's statement. He didn't deserve to be the target of her prickly mood when he was simply being a concerned parent, so she let out a lengthy sigh and answered, "I think you may be right."

Slipping easily into military mode, he commanded, "Go on upstairs, shower off the night and crawl into your bed. You'll feel better after a few hours of shut eye."

Katie was about to protest but Frank interrupted, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things down here." Turning away from her to talk to Matt, he asked, "Lunches still cost 65 cents at that school of yours?"

Matt smirked and informed his grandfather, "More like $2.50."

"Ouch," the General remarked as he reached into his wallet to pull out some lunch money for the kid. Looking over at Katie, who was still on the couch, he repeated, "Go on now, go get some sleep. I'm sure your mother will stop by later to check on you."

"I'm not the one who got shot, dad," she reminded him tiredly, getting up to take her empty breakfast plate into the kitchen, "I'm exhausted, not dying."

"Since when does your mother need an excuse to come over to your house, cook you a meal, and clean up after you?" Frank asked, taking the plate and mug from her to place in the dishwasher.

"Since never!" Matt exclaimed, excited at the prospect of have a grandma-cooked dinner, "Will she make her famous roast chicken and potatoes? I love that!"

"I'll put in your request as soon as I get home," his grandfather replied, "Now, go get your book bag and let's get ready to go."

"I don't have to take the bus?" the ten year old asked excitedly, "All right…two days in a row!"

As the father and daughter duo watched Matt run out of the room to find his book bag, Katie turned back to her father and apologized, "I'm sorry, dad. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay, Katie-did," Frank replied warmly, "I'm used to your moods by now."

Quietly she confessed, "I held his heart in my hands and massaged it until it started to beat again." Swallowing the sudden overwhelming emotion she felt, Katie looked up at her dad and joked, "It was pretty intense."

"He was lucky you were there…"

"Any other surgeon would have done the same thing," Katie protested, interrupting her father's compliment.

"But any other surgeon didn't," Frank reminded her, "You did." Kissing her quickly on the forehead as Matt came back into the kitchen, he said, "Now go get some sleep while I take this guy to school."

"I love you," Katie called as her two favorite guys headed out into the Hawaiian sunshine and then headed upstairs to follow the General's orders.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello again everyone! I hope you are all having a great weekend. Many, many thanks to everyone who took time out to review this fic! I am thrilled that Katie's family made such a good impression on you after your first meeting…I take great pains in creating characters that people will care about so that you become as invested in them as you do in the Five-O characters we already love. I find that to be a challenge in fan fic writing and I love it! I'm so glad that you took a liking to the General and Matt…especially Matt because he is going to have a pretty pivotal role in this fic.**_

_**Fishy Rainboots – I realize that the Camaro belongs to Danny but for the life of me I couldn't think what Steve drove when he wasn't with Danny! Thanks for reminding me that he has a truck. I could have easily corrected that chapter by having Danny with Steve when he first met Katie and giving him a few lines calming his partner down or worrying about his car, but I didn't think of it until after it was posted. Thanks for the heads up!**_

_**Princesspkia – I am not from Chicago…I am actually a Big Apple girl! But my brother lives in Chicago and I love visiting. And to be honest, I didn't even think of the Giordano connection when I gave Katie the name! I actually named her after a friend of mine (a New Yorker) whose last name is Giordano and I just like the way Dr. Giordano sounded!**_

_**And now for the second "first" meeting. I wrote this as if Steve didn't know that Katie was his doctor under the assumption that she has only been in to check on him when he was unconscious or that only the nurses have been in to take care of him while he was awake. I hope you enjoy this one...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five – A Model Patient<strong>

"_A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed."_

~Henrik Ibsen

_Honolulu Medical Center, 48 hours later…_

"I don't know why they are keeping me here so long," Commander Steven J. McGarrett muttered aloud to no one in particular, frowning at the members of his team who were gathered in his hospital room, "I'm fine."

"So you keep telling us." Officer Kono Kalakaua shot back with a smirk, finally sitting down in the chair to the left of her boss' bedside and exchanging a knowing look with her cousin, Detective Chin Ho Kelly. Chin, leaning against the far wall, merely shook his head and chuckled at the situation.

"So you've told us at least ten times now," Steve's partner, Detective Danny Williams, mocked and pretended to check his watch before he added, "In the last half hour."

"And yet," Steve drawled, flopping back against his pillows, "you sound as if you don't believe me."

"Well the huge bandage covering your torso, the IV drip, and the monitors attached to your heart are quite convincing," Chin pointed out, glancing around at the medical equipment that filled the room and reminded everyone that the situation was still quite serious.

"Damn doctors," Steve muttered, rolling his eyes in frustration before closing them, "They get their kicks out of padding the bill."

Danny smirked at his partner and moved over to inspect the heart monitor that the leader of Five-O was hooked up to as he quipped, "So, if I press this little button right here…"

Without flinching or opening his eyes, Steve replied dryly, "Don't you have a shift to report for, Danno?"

"Nope," Danny answered with a smirk, "We finished up our paperwork while you were in recovery and the governor has cleared our schedules so that we can focus on finding out who shot you."

"And how are you accomplishing that in here?" his partner wanted to know.

"We're interviewing the victim, of course," Kono teased, grinning first at Danny and then at Steve, "Didn't they teach you anything about good police work in S.E.A.L. school?"

"Don't they limit the number of visitors allowed at one time in this hospital?" The Commander asked irritably, opening his eyes just in time to see Lt. Commander Joe White stroll into the room and then mutter, "Apparently not."

"Good to see you too, kid," Joe said with a grin, putting down the tray of coffees he was carrying. "I see your sense of humor has returned…that's a good sign."

"Any word on the ballistics report?" Chin asked, helping himself to a steaming cup of Kona coffee and passing one to his cousin.

"Bullets that they took out of Steve were from a .38 special."

"So basically that could belong to…anyone," Danny remarked, taking the cup of coffee that Joe handed him. Looking down at his partner and taking a familiar tone, he continued, "I told you that questioning the suspect on the beach was not a good idea. Too many people around, too much could go wrong. But no! We had to do it your way and look what happened…"

But Danny's lecture was cut short when a familiar brunette doctor breezed into the room.

"Good morning, Comm-…whoa." She stopped short when she saw the room full of law enforcement officials. "It seems like the gang's all here. Don't you people ever sleep?" And then without waiting for a reply, she turned to her famous patient and asked, "How are you feeling today, Commander McGarrett?"

By the light of day, Dr. Katie Giordano looked…if possible…younger than she did when the team had last seen her after Steve's surgery. Well rested, with her face freshly scrubbed, her hair pulled back in a familiar ponytail, and donning vibrant purple scrubs, she looked more like a Hollywood starlet playing a doctor in a soap opera than a highly qualified surgeon. And to Steve, she looked vaguely familiar…

Suddenly he remembered how he knew her and decided to use that to his advantage. Pasting a look of surprised horror on his face, he drew in a deep, dramatic breath and said, "Oh God, no. Not you."

"Steve!" Kono reprimanded her boss, shocked at his reaction to the woman who had saved his life. "This is Dr. Giordano." Practically hissing at him through her teeth, she reminded him, "You know, the surgeon who repaired the bullet wound to your heart?"

"I know who she is," Steve told his friend, never taking his eyes off the beautiful doctor as he continued his charade. He was pleased to see that she looked a little uncomfortable, so he continued, "Thank God she is a better surgeon than she is a driver."

Pursing her lips and biting back the sarcastic comment that she was dying to sling at him, Katie narrowed her eyes at her handsome patient to let her know that she saw right through his little act and simply said, "I guess I deserved that."

Looking quickly back and forth between his two friends, Chin raised his eyebrow and concluded, "I take it that you two already know each other?"

"Yes," Katie replied and, before she could stop herself, she quipped with a smirk, "we've run into each other before."

"But Malia said…"

Danny, realizing immediately what was going on, looked pointedly at his partner and suddenly interjected, "This is who you hit with my car? A doctor? A surgeon? And you didn't take her insurance information? I bet she's insured to the hilt…I could have gotten a new paint job!"

"Detective, you could have gotten a new house," Katie teased, instantly enjoying the fact that Detective Williams obviously thought the accident was Steve's fault.

"She pulled out in front of me!" The Commander reminded his partner for what seemed like the hundredth time. He knew he shoulden't have told Danny about the dust up outside the elementary school, but there was something about the incident that he just couldn't get out of his brain. And now he was regretting ever mentioning it to his partner. Turning back to the doctor, he scowled, "Don't encourage him. Because in case you have forgotten, I just had heart surgery and he shouldn't be yelling at me."

"You started it," the surgeon reminded him, secretly smiling at the schoolyard games they were playing. Somehow, no matter how unprofessional it was, it just seemed natural.

"It's because she's pretty, isn't it? Well there are a lot of pretty ladies in Hawaii, Steven. But only this one has the insurance coverage that could have gotten me a house!" Danny muttered, more to himself than anyone else in the room. Crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Steve, Danny muttered, "Grace and I **really** could have used a new house."

Exchanging a friendly look with Chin and biting back a smile at the enire exchange, Katie half-heartedly reverted to professional mode and said, "Speaking of your heart surgery…"

"I feel really, really good, doc." Steve interrupted her, struggling to pull himself into a sitting position. Flashing her his best smile, he continued, "Like when I was going through military training. Despite the fact that you can't drive a car and talk on the phone at the same time, you did a great job in restoring me to my original really, really healthy condition."

Katie didn't look up from the chart she was studying, but she did smile as she answered, "You're funny, McGarrett. You're a funny, funny man."

"So I guess that means I can go home, right?" Steve asked, watching as she moved over to check the read out on his EKG machine. She kept her back to him and ignored his comment as she looked over his heart rate activity before moving over to take his blood pressure. As she went about the business of wrapping the cuff around his right arm, it became clear to him that she wasn't going to answer his question so he asked again, "Doctor Giordano?"

She looked up at him as if she were surprised to see him and answered innocently, "Yes?"

"I can get out of here now, can't I?" Steve repeated the question, wondering if she was purposely irritating him to raise his blood pressure rate.

The former Navy S.E.A.L. and current leader of Five-O couldn't believe it when the doctor "shushed" him as she listened to her stethoscope. Finally releasing his arm from the blood pressure cuff, Katie answered simply, "I don't think so."

"I feel fine," the Commander protested and then added haughtily, "And I have an investigation to run."

Flipping open his chart to make some notations, Katie responded, "Last I heard, Honolulu had an entire police force capable of doing that. In fact, I pay some pretty high property taxes just to make sure."

"Now who's the funny one?" Steve grumbled, not finding any humor at all in the situation. Glancing around the room, he barked, "Chin, get my clothes…"

Chin glanced uneasily over at the doctor, who was still calmly making notes in Steve's chart, and then over to his boss. Danny, who was finding the standoff between his partner and the doctor comical, was busy grinning from ear to ear and was obviously going to be no help at all so Detective Kelly finally said, "Boss, I don't think…"

Katie suddenly snapped the chart shut again and told him, "No, it's okay Chin. Go ahead."

"Wait…" Kono sputtered, looking at the doctor in disbelief. "What?"

"I have a lot of patients to see today, Officer Kalakaua," Katie explained, her eyes never leaving Steve's. "I don't have the time or the patience to stand here and argue with your boss."

"Doc, look…" Joe started to come to Steve's defense, but Dr. Giordano was not finished yet.

"But," she continued, "I'm not going to be held responsible for what happens to him if he checks himself out of here against doctors orders either."

"Dr. Giordano…" Kono started again, but then her voice trailed off when she realized she didn't exactly know what was going on.

Never taking her attention off her patient, Katie told him matter of factly, "So I'm going to have to ask you a few questions and if I'm satisfied with your answers, I will go down and file your release paperwork myself. Okay?"

"Shoot," Steve agreed as he crossed his muscular arms over his chest, confident that he held the upper hand and would be leaving the hospital within the hour.

"Okay," the petite brunette agreed, taking a pen out of the pocket of her doctor's coat and flipping his chart open one more time. Looking up at him pointedly she began, "The first thing I need from you is the name of the medical school where you got your degree?"

The only sound that could be heard in the entire room was the steady beep of Steve's heart monitor as his co-workers watched the shock register on his ruggedly handsome face. With her pen poised to write something in the chart, Dr. Giordano looked up at him as if she actually expected an answer. When she didn't get one, she continued…

"I know, it's not fair of me to start off with such a tough question. How about we try this one…the name of the doctor you did your residency and internship under?" The look of astonishment on Steve's face slowly began to turn to annoyance as she kept peppering him with questions. "No? Okay, well how about the name of the hospital where you are currently practicing medicine? I just need to call and check on your status to diagnose your own condition and ignore my advice."

It was that last remark that finally caused Danny's laughter to spill over into the quiet room. He was practically shaking with delight and Steve looked around to see that the rest of the team was having trouble hiding their amusement as well.

Realizing what she was doing, the Commander leaned back against his pillows and sighed as he said, "I get it."

"No, I don't think you do," Katie shot back, fire flashing in her eyes. She was the one with upper hand now and everyone in the room knew it. "But you will."

"I know my own body." Steve protested weakly, "I know what I am capable of."

"Well I don't want this to sound like the lamest pick up line ever, but I've become pretty familiar with your body over the last 48 hours too and I'm absolutely certain I know what you're capable of. In fact, I have a couple of degrees hanging on my walls to prove it." She put her hand on her hip and leveled him with her piercing green eyes as she reminded him, "You were shot in the chest, Commander McGarrett. You were brought into the ER with an injury that 98% of people die from within seconds of impact and you survived…with a little help from me. So trust me when I tell you that your superman routine isn't going to work here."

"Look, I…"

"I get it, okay?" Katie interrupted him, softening her expression, "You are a man who isn't used to being on the losing end of an argument…I've got a few like you in my life. And you're certainly not accustomed to being wrong. You are awake and alert and feeling good so you should go home, end of story right? You want to get out of here so badly? Fine. Go ahead. I'm not going to waste my breath fighting with you."

"What?" Steve asked, puzzled by her sudden change of argument.

"Go ahead," she repeated, gesturing with her hand toward the door, "Get out of that bed, walk across the room to the closet and get your clothes. I believe the nurse put them in the closet by the door."

"Now?"

"No time like the present."

No one in the room was quite sure what was going on, so when Steve struggled to lift himself out of his hospital bed every pair of eyes in the room were focused on the pretty doctor. Kono caught her gaze and was about to protest this very bizarre turn of events, but Katie silently shook her head and nodded toward Steve. The team watched as he slowly swung both feet to the floor and when Joe moved forward to help his friend, Katie once again shook her head at them and motioned for Joe to step back. When Steve tried to lift himself up from the bed, as the doctor predicted, he was unsteady and fell back on the bed. Realizing that he had been beaten, he laid back against his pillows as Katie moved forward with a smug look and helped him lift his legs back into the bed.

"Look…" he began, but she cut him off almost as soon as the word left his lips.

"No, you look. I have a healthy respect for what you do for a living, Commander McGarrett. Not to mention your obvious dedication to your job and the state of Hawaii. But since my team and I spent over five hours in the O.R. a few days ago removing bullet fragments from your body and repairing your most vital organs, I would hope you might have just a little bit of respect for what **I** do." Pulling the covers up over him and adjusting his IV tubes, she continued, "But if you don't, it really doesn't matter. Because in here, I always win."

And with that final pronouncement, the beautiful young doctor turned and walked out of the hospital room leaving the Five-O team to simply watch her go. Finally, it was Danny who broke the silence as he chuckled and stated, "Oh, I like her."


	6. Chapter 6

_**For those of you who are simply enjoying the story for pure entertainment value, here is a new chapter for you. I'm sorry if it seems a little depressing, but these characters work in high risk professions and sometimes we (and they) need to be reminded of that. Plus, it sets up the events in the next chapter...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six – Things Can Change in a New York Minute<strong>

"_There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them. "_

~Lawrence Welk

_Honolulu Medical Center, four days later..._

"The name Henry Okalani mean anything to you, Steve?"

Steve looked up in surprise when Danny mentioned the name and exchanged a knowing glance with Chin as he repeated, "Henry Olani?"

"Yeah," Danny said, moving over to the table to pick through the Get Well gifts of food that had been piling up in partner's room. Noticing a bottle of 'Okolehao, a potent Hawaiian spirit distilled from ti root, he poured a little into an empty coffee mug and pulled up a chair to join the group at Steve's bedside. "That's the guy we put a warrant out for. Know him?"

"Blast from the past," Steve stated, leaning back in his hospital bed. "My dad took down his father, Michael Olani, back when he was with HPD…"

"Took him down?"

"Olani was the drug king pin of the island," Steve answered, "But when the city of Honolulu got enough evidence for an indictment against him, he went underground. Then my dad got a tip he was going to attend the baptism of his grandson."

"It was supposed to be pretty straightforward…we were going to take them down when they exited the church," Chin added, picking up where Steve left off, "But every one of Olani's men had a gun and when they opened fire, the police returned fire. All hell broke loose and by the time it was over two of our guys were wounded and four of his were killed…including Olani's wife and infant grandson."

"You think he's the one who shot me?" The Commander asked his partner, glancing up at Danny.

"Witnesses put him on the beach at the time of the shooting," the New Jersey detective informed Steve.

"You think it's revenge for what happened to his mother and son?" Steve asked and when Danny nodded in affirmation, he queried, "All these years later?"

Chin shook his head and quietly said, "That kind of hatred never goes away."

Danny was silent for a moment as he digested this piece of the McGarrett's past, not knowing that hell was about to break loose for them too.

"Donuts? Fudge? You can't get flowers like a normal patient?"

A familiar voice filled the room as Dr. Katie Giordano came upon the scene at her patient's bedside. And when she noticed the open bottle that Danny had left visible on the table, the men all braced themselves for what was going to happen next…

"Rum?" she shrieked, her green eyes flashing fire as she looked around at the culprits. "Are you kidding me?"

"Actually, it's 'Okolehao…" Danny began, but let his voice trail off when he realized that he wasn't helping the situation.

Steve tried to defend himself by saying, "I didn't drink any…"

But Katie wasn't even looking at her patient. She was focused on his visitors as she reminded them, "This man just had major surgery…"

"And we need to find the guy who put him on your table," Danny challenged her, figuring he was already in the most trouble for leaving the liquor out where she could see it.

"I believe there is a place for that," Katie shot back, ready to go toe to toe with any one of them, "It's this big building downtown on South Beretania Street and if I'm not mistaken, the words _'Honolulu Police Headquarters'_ are written in huge letters out front."

"So this means you are letting me leave?" Steve asked both hopefully and sarcastically.

"No," Katie practically spit back at him, "this means that the little Five-O's are going to have to handle this one without their leader." Glaring at Danny and Chin, she pointed at the door and ordered, "Out."

The venom in her voice actually made Danny step back and then she turned her anger on Chin as she said, "And I can't believe you, Kelly! I guess I was under the misconception that you, out of everybody, should know better."

Realizing that she had just yelled at her friend, Katie turned around and took two deep breaths as she picked up Steve's chart. But she couldn't help muttering to herself, "I can't believe that in a room that includes a Naval Officer and two policemen that** I** have to be the responsible adult."

Chin, who had heard all about Katie's temper from Malia, tried to do what he did best…diffuse the situation. "Katie, these are special circumstances and I think that if you could possibly be a little more understanding about…"

"I know I don't seem like the warm and understanding type, Chin. But trust me when I tell you that this is my warm and understanding face." The doctor interrupted, her face still set in anger but her voice sounding much calmer. "And if I have to ask any of you again to let this man rest, I'm going to have to start being much less warm and much less understanding." Turning to Steve, she grouched, "Now why don't you tell your friends here that this is actually your fault?"

"What?" Steve asked in confusion.

"The only reason I had to come up here is because I've gotten complaints all day that you are you giving my nurses a hard time." Opening up his chart, she nodded and then looked back up at her patient accusingly as she said, "They tell me you are refusing your breathing treatments."

"That's because I don't need them."

Katie sighed in disgust and rolled her eyes as she reminded him, "Look, I know that your entire world is consumed with finding out who shot you, but mine isn't. I have a lot of patients to take care of in this hospital and I don't have time to keep coming up here to wet nurse you."

"Fine, then let me go home."

"Do you think I'm keeping you here because I am fond of your company, your blatant disregard for hospital rules, or the 24 hour stream of law enforcement officials who are constantly coming in and out of this room?" she asked him sarcastically, "When you are fully healed, I will escort you down to the front door myself. But not a moment before that." Realizing that she was way beyond the point of sounding snarky, she took a deep breath and said tiredly, "Listen...if you don't take these treatments, you are risking serious pulmonary complications. Do you understand that, Mr. McGarrett?"

And for the first time since she had entered the room, the Five-O team noticed that Dr. Giordano did not look at all like herself. Her dark locks were messily pulled back in her signature ponytail, but many pieces were falling haphazardly around her face. A face that looked like it had aged twenty years since they had last seen her. Steve's eyes fell on what looked like patches of blood smeared on her scrubs, although she was doing her best to hide them with her lab coat, and he suddenly realized that he wasn't the only thing bothering the young doctor at the moment.

No longer feeling the need to push her buttons any further, he quietly quipped, "That's Commander McGarrett, doc."

"It could be Admiral McGarrett for all I care!" Katie shot back before realizing that the tone of his voice had changed and he was looking at her with understanding eyes. The brunette responded by softening her own tone as she told him, "Now, just do what you are told for once. Please."

"Well, as long as you said _'please'_," Steve teased as she headed out the door.

As she was leaving, Katie almost ran smack into Malia walking in the door of the hospital room.

"Ah, Malia..." the doctor said as she headed out into the hallway, "Finally…a grown up."

Malia simply gave her friend a funny look before coming into the hospital room to find Danny and Chin chuckling at each other.

"It's not funny," Steve informed them, but he couldn't help hide the grin on his own face.

"What's not funny?" she asked, leaning down to plant a kiss on Steve's forehead.

"We were just watching the good doctor wipe the floor with McGarrett once again," Chin told her as Malia moved over to kiss her fiancé.

"She's good at that," Malia agreed with a smile. "It's part of her charm."

"She was especially up in arms today," Danny informed his friend, "Apparently, 'Okolehao brings the hellcat out of her."

Malia glanced at the liquor bottle that had caused most of the commotion and gave Danny an annoyed look as she moved back over to Steve's bed to check his IV drip. Looking down at the leader of Five-O, she told him, "Whatever just happened in here, it probably wasn't about you. Or the 'Okolehao, although you should probably hide it…the immunity given to Navy men and police officers only goes so far around here and you're starting to wear out your welcome."

"What do you mean that wasn't about me?" Steve asked, watching Malia make an adjustment on his IV tube.

"We had a rough day in the ER today…Dr. G lost a patient on the table," she sighed tiredly and sat down in the chair that Danny had just vacated for her, "A four year old little girl…beaten until she was barely recognizable."

"Gracie?" Chin asked quietly as he moved behind Malia and began to rub the tension out of her shoulders. He knew that she and Katie were concerned about the little girl and it must have been hard for them to lose her.

Malia nodded in response as she continued, "She has been in here a few times over the last couple weeks with various injuries. We think the father beats her mother, too. But we couldn't get anyone at Children's Services or HPD to take us seriously because she came from 'a good home'. Well today she came in with…" the pediatrician let her voice trail off and closed her eyes as she recalled the horrifying scene in the Emergency room earlier. And then after a few moments, in a stronger voice, she continued, "It was over for little Gracie before Katie even got to work, but sometimes when you give it all you've got and it's still not good enough…it's hard to leave it on the table. Especially the babies." Malia sighed and blinked back the tears as she added, "And then just before she came up here, Katie was having the mother and her politician husband arrested for murder. Apparently, they were so high…" It was too awful for Malia to even finish the sentence, so she just shook her head and whispered, "Their own child. What is this world coming to?"

Steve looked up and glanced out the door of his room to see Katie in deep conversation with another doctor. The older man was probably her supervisor and, if the hospital were anything like a police department, she was going to have a long evening of questions and paperwork ahead of her. Shaking his head in disgust, the Commander said quietly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Even the best, like Dr. G, sometimes find it hard to put aside the fact that you're a human being while still trying to do your job." Reaching over to squeeze Steve's hand, she smiled at him and said, "Something this group knows a little bit about, right? So do everyone a favor and cut her some slack, okay?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven - So You've Had a Bad Day**

"_Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep."_

~Carl Sandburg

_Later that night…_

The tears didn't come until the door of the 4th floor doctor's lavatory was shut and locked securely behind her. And, even then, they were controlled. Katie felt like her heart had white knuckles for how hard it was holding onto itself. Each tear that escaped felt like it was slipping through a tightly clenched fist, a testament that she wasn't as strong as she should be.

Long after the nurses had shut off the beeping monitors in young Gracie's hospital room, Katie still heard that awful sound ringing in her ears. She twisted her hands, which had formed into ice, trying to steady them. She told herself not to cry. Crying solved nothing. It never had. She had learned that long ago. She should be used to this by now...the inevitable end of human life. She was a doctor and the child was her patient. That was all. She went over those thoughts in her mind to try and hold back the tears. But, a single tear formed in her eye and came to rest on her cheek, where it froze like the rest of her body.

Katie's heart constricted at the memory of what had been done to that little girl and then she thought of Matt and her heart leapt in her throat. Suddenly something broke inside her. Leaning over the nearby sink, she gripped the edge of its surface, her tears coming fast and hot.

Her body fought against the sobs that came, but was unable to stop them. So she cried. She cried, dropping down until she was crouched on the floor, her arms raised above her, still holding onto the edge of the sink so hard her fingers were white and bloodless. She cried until she was all cried out and then slowly, her arms feeling like jello, she lifted herself up until she was standing. She slumped forward, resting one hot cheek against the cool surface of the mirror and stayed that way for several long, quiet minutes before she took a deep breath, collected herself, and straightened up.

"Get a grip, Mary Katherine," she told herself, mimicking her father's unyielding tone.

After splashing some cold water on her face to revive her frazzled body and mind, the surgeon picked up the stack of patient files that she had been carrying, shoved the bathroom door open with her hip, and scanned the hospital cafeteria for a table. It was quiet in the hospital that evening and not too difficult for her to find a secluded table where she could work in peace.

She hadn't even made it halfway through the first file in her stack when she heard his wheelchair roll up next to her table.

"Good evening, Dr. Giordano."

"What are you doing here?" Katie asked, not even looking up from her paperwork.

"Nurse Spencer was wheeling me back from my physical therapy session when we noticed you were sitting here all alone."

"Well, there is a reason for that," the surgeon snapped, flipping through the paperwork and making a notation. "So, Nurse Spencer can wheel you back to your room now while I finish filling out my paperwork."

"She left."

Katie finally looked up to see that the young nurse in question had indeed disappeared and only the wheelchair bound Commander McGarrett was there with her.

"If this is going to be another conversation about when you will be released, I am on break for another 20 minutes," she told him coldly, rolling her eyes, "Which means I am not professionally obligated to be a part of this conversation..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the Commander slid one of the hot cups of coffee he was holding towards her with a smirk. Eyeing the cup of steaming liquid, the doctor asked dryly, "Is that for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The former S.E.A.L. practically chuckled at her guarded look and simply said, "I thought you might want it."

"You brought me coffee?"

"Yes."

"What's in it?"

"Coffee," he told her simply. "Two sugars. A little bit of cream."

Raising a suspicious eyebrow at him, she asked wryly, "How did you figure out how I take my coffee?"

Steve was unable to conceal the grin that spread across his lips as he informed her smugly, "I figured it out by asking Malia how you take your coffee."

"Why?"

"Why did I bring you coffee?" he simply shook his head at the silly conversation and then said, "It's a peace offering."

Whatever Steve McGarrett was expecting to happen next, it wasn't for her to laugh at him. But that is exactly what she did. It was a truly unguarded moment from this very guarded woman and it was refreshing. It had not escaped his notice that Dr. Katie Giordano was a stunningly beautiful woman. And that beauty seemed to intensify, if possible, when she laughed.

"You brought me a peace offering?" she repeated, looking down at the coffee and then turning to fully face him.

"That's funny to you?"

She stared at him briefly before she admitted, "I can honestly say that I have never had a patient bring me a peace offering before. I've received a few marriage proprosals and a few other offers that I won't bother to repeat, but a peace offering is new."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm not really as bad as I may have seemed since my arrival," Shrugging his shoulders as some sort of explanation, he added, "I'm just not good at being…helpless."

"Who is?" she asked, raising her eyebrow and taking a sip of the coffee on the table between them. Finally looking back up at him, she said, "Look, I'm sure you are a nice guy who has been under a lot of stress lately, but honestly…it's been a long, crappy day and I just want to finish my paperwork and then go home to soak in a hot tub. Can we pick this up tomorrow?"

Steve was busy shaking the sudden image of her in a bubble bath out of his head as he mumbled, "Um…yeah. Sure. I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life," he reminded her seriously, "It seems that in the midst of everything else, I never expressed my gratitude for that."

"Well, you did most of the heavy lifting," Katie told him, before taking another sip of her coffee, "All we did was remove the bullet."

"You did more than that."

"You were very lucky, Commander," the surgeon said quietly, taking a second to study his handsome face. He was making an effort and the least she could do was return the gesture. "You had a lot going for you before you even landed on my table…you are strong and healthy." She paused before she smiled and finished, "And you obviously have a lot to live for. It makes a difference."

"Yeah," Steve agreed and then asked suddenly, "Did you always want to be a doctor?"

"Well, until I was seven I wanted to be a princess," she said, taking a deep breath and moving her files over to the other side of the table since it didn't seem like she was going to get any work done, "And then for awhile there I wanted to be Mrs. Bruce Springsteen. But I settled on doctor when I was about 15 and stayed the course."

"What happened when you were 15?"

Katie sighed and admitted, "I fell in love with a paramedic."

"Isn't that a little bit illegal?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow at her reasoning.

"Oh, it was a completely one sided relationship," she assured him, "I loved him and he tolerated the geeky neighborhood girl."

"I can't imagine you as geeky…"

"Oh, I was," she assured him with a nod of her head, "Acne, braces, glasses, spiral perm, 90's fashions…gotta love the teenage years. I burned all of my yearbooks a few years ago…"

Steve broke out in laughter as she continued, "Anyway, this golden god paramedic was studying to go to medical school and so I studied too so that I could impress him with my knowledge. I even helped him study for his entrance exams and then do you know what he did to my tender teenage heart?" She didn't wait for him to answer as she told him, "He flung me aside for some waitress in Oahu."

"Jerk."

"Big jerk," Katie agreed with a grin. "So I got the best revenge imaginable…I beat him at his own game. I became a surgeon."

"And did he ever get into medical school?" he asked with interest.

"He's still a paramedic," she informed him with a wicked smile. "I will never forget the look on his face the day he brought an accident victim into my ER and had to call me 'Dr. Giordano'. I loved it."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," Steve concluded, smiling at her.

"Sounds like you've got a bit of Italian in you, McGarrett." Katie surmised, realizing that she had enjoyed the conversation more than she had planned to. Then glancing over at her stack of files, she asked, "So, is that the end of the interview portion of the competition?"

"Not yet," he admitted with a grin and then said, "I went through S.E.A.L. training with a Jimmy Giordano…from Brooklyn. In fact, we called him 'Brooklyn' instead of Jimmy. He was assigned to…"

"SEAL Team Two," she finished for him, suddenly becoming very interested in her coffee cup.

"You're related to Jimmy?" Steve asked with interest.

"You could say that," Katie told him and then hesitated before she added, "He was my husband."

For some reason, Steve hadn't been expecting that piece of news and he sat in stunned silence for a moment. And then suddenly he shook his head and said, "Wait a minute, I heard that Jimmy married General James' daughter…that's you?"

"The one and only."

"You're General Frank James' little girl?" Steve repeated in surprise.

"That's what my mother keeps telling me," Katie answered with a grin before teasing, "But sometimes she changes her story and tells me that Robert Redford is my real father, so we're having some tests done..."

But Steve was only half listening to her as he searched through his memory bank for information on Jimmy Giordano. Looking up at her, he asked, "He was on that mission in Kosovo, wasn't he?" When she nodded in affirmation, he mused, "Man, that was a long time ago…"

"Ten years."

The former SEAL suddenly covered her hands with his own as he looked at her earnestly and confessed quietly, "My team was overseas when we heard about Jimmy's death. If we had been in the States, we would have been at the funeral…"

"I know," Katie answered and meant it. The sincerity of his statement was right there in the Commander's eyes and if there was one thing she had learned in her brief time being married to Jimmy was the loyalty of the Navy SEALs. She squeezed his hand to let him know that it was okay and that seemed to reassure him.

"That was a hell of a thing he did," Steve continued thoughtfully, obviously lost in a memory of his fallen comrade, "Those women would have been slaughtered if he hadn't…"

Katie suddenly pulled her hands out of his grasp as she remarked curtly, "Yeah, he was a real hero."

Steve knew immediately that he had hit a wall and that the good doctor was not comfortable talking about the circumstances of her husband's death. Quickly changing topics, he sat back in his wheelchair and asked lightly, "So how did a kid from Brooklyn meet the daughter of the Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Hawaii?"

Realizing that he was respecting the boundaries that she had put up between them and silently giving him credit for it, the brunette drew in a deep breath as she said, "I went to medical school at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. During one long weekend, some friends and I took a break from studying and went down to Virginia Beach for some fun in the sun." Shrugging her shoulders and grinning at the memory, she informed him, "I came back with a husband."

_Nice work, Jimmy_, Steve thought to himself with a grin. Out loud, he asked, "And how did big daddy take the news that his baby girl was married to a Navy man? A SEAL, of all things."

"Not well, at first," she answered with a slight frown, "But he and my mom had raised me to go after what I wanted, and what I wanted was Jimmy. And the life that came with him. So once he got to know Jimmy…" Katie's voice suddenly trailed off and she looked away wistfully. After a moment, she looked back at him and said, "Speaking of people my dad got to know… he told me that he also knew your father. He was very sorry to hear about what happened to him." Her voice softened as she added, "Families are like puzzles. They fit together in a certain way, and when one of the pieces are missing it throws everything off."

"One of the first phone calls I received when I got back to Hawaii was from your father."

"Sounds like him," she agreed and then took another sip of coffee.

Steve couldn't believe how natural it felt to sit and talk with her. They'd just met, but he was beginning to feel like he'd known her forever. And he didn't want the conversation to end. So in a more playful tone, he asked, "You told you're dad about me?"

Katie chuckled and reminded him, "Don't read too much into that one, McGarrett. Despite the number of tourists, this isn't a very big island. And my dad seems to know what is going on in every corner of it."

"Oh," he said, pretending to be hurt by her statement, "I thought you were checking up on me. Because I checked up on you."

"Really?"

"With Malia."

She seemed intrigued as she asked, "And what did Malia tell you about me?"

"Basically that you are a fantastic surgeon, a dedicated professional…"

"Sounds about right," Katie interrupted with a playful grin.

"…and she also told us about that little girl in the ER today."

Katie stopped short and stared at him for a moment before she started to rearrange the files in her stack. Steve noticed that she was intentionally refusing to meet his gaze and knew that he had touched another nerve. Suddenly shrugging her shoulders in nonchalance, she informed him, "It comes with the territory. Patients die."

"Yeah," he agreed in a serious tone, "but when it's a child…"

"I'm a trauma surgeon, Commander," she bit out and the immediate change in her tone was evident. Gone was the soft playfulness of their earlier conversation and Steve wanted to kick himself for ruining that as she continued, "I did everything that could have been done and then when I couldn't do anymore, I walked away."

"I'm sure you did," he nodded in agreement

But when she noticed the compassion in his eyes as he stared at her, she let her guard down a little and whispered, "She was so young."

Covering her hand again with his, Steve murmured, "It's okay."

"No, it's not," she disagreed with a shake of her head and pulled her hand away as if his touch had stung her. Standing up and gathering her files, she continued, "That's exactly how you lose your mind with jobs like ours. There's so much tragedy. Feeling is the first thing that goes. After that, losing the rest is easy. Compassion, empathy, sympathy…it's funny, you can become a much better doctor by becoming less of a human being."

And then Katie Giordano once again did what she did best…she walked away from him.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hello everyone! I hope you all had happy holidays and are ready for a new year! As a belated gift, here is a new chapter for you!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight – A Fateful Meeting<strong>

"_Maybe Fate isn't the pond you swim in but the fisherman floating on top of it, letting you run the line wild until you are weary enough to be reeled back in."_

_~Jodi Picoult_

_The next afternoon..._

"That man drives me crazy!"

Nurse Kelly Spencer glanced up from the paperwork she was going over at the nurse's station counter and rolled her eyes as her friend Dr. Katie Giordano approached her. Knowing _'that man'_ Katie was referring to was the ever so sexy Commander McGarrett, she grinned and teased her friend, "Are you two at it again?"

"He is certifiably insane," Katie informed her, moving around the side of the nurse's station desk and logging into an empty computer terminal.

"You seem to be the only one he has this affect on," Kelly mused playfully.

"Why don't you spend five minutes alone with him and see how he gets under your skin?"

Putting down the file that she was working on, the nurse turned to face her friend and told her, "Kate, any woman in this hospital would give their right eye to spend five minutes alone with that man." When Katie refused to look away from her computer monitor, Kelly continued by saying, "Besides, I thought you two had called a truce."

"What are you talking about?"

Both women turned to see Dr. Malia Weston approaching the nurse's station. Leaning on the counter, she repeated, "Who called a truce?"

"Dr. G and Commander Sexy Pants…"

"Grow up," Katie admonished with a grin and then shook her head as she comically repeated, "Commander Sexy Pants…is that really what people are calling him?"

"He has made quite an impression on the female staff around here," Malia agreed and then turned to Kelly as she asked again, "Truce?"

Ready to dish out the gossip, Kelly's eyes sparkled as she glanced quickly over at Katie before telling Malia, "Last night, when I was wheeling him back from physical therapy, he spotted the lovely Dr. Giordano sitting all by her lonesome in the cafeteria. And he insisted that I wheel him over to the coffee cart to buy her a coffee and then I had to wheel him over to her table. And then," she drawled dramatically, with a huge smile, "he asked me to get lost."

"He did?"

"He did not," the brunette doctor disagreed, still peering at her computer screen.

"He totally did," Kelly assured Malia despite Katie's protest, "I mean, he was completely polite about it. But he definitely asked me to leave him alone at her table."

"And what did you talk about?"

Katie knew her two friends well enough to know that they weren't going to let this go, so she finally turned to face them and admitted, "He knew Jimmy."

"I was wondering about that," Malia mused with a nod of her head, "The S.E.A.L.s seem to be a tight knit community." Leaning over the counter and resting her chin on her upturned palm, she asked playfully, "And what else did we talk about?"

"He apologized for being a pain in my ass," Katie told her and then added dryly, "But that didn't stop him from giving me a hard time again this morning when I was doing my rounds."

"I have never met two people who really can't stand each other that much," Kelly mused, shaking her head. "I don't get it…you're both perfectly nice people to everyone else…"

"Actually," Malia corrected her young friend with a grin, "I think they like each other more than either one of them wants to admit."

"Like each other?" Katie asked in surprise. "I just told you that he drives me crazy!"

"Exactly," Malia said with laugh, "That's how it always starts."

"He's a patient," the surgeon reminded her friends, "I don't date patients."

"He won't be a patient forever," Kelly informed them, "He's strong and healthy and making amazing strides in his recovery. Eventually you'll be wheeling him out of here and then he's fair game."

"But until that day," Malia added, "the flirting will have to hold you over."

"Flirting?" Katie repeated in surprise, "We are NOT flirting."

Malia was laughing herself silly at Katie's obvious embarrassment with the conversation, so Kelly supplied, "You two are hysterical, do you know that? All that arguing like a couple of teen-agers whose hormones are on overdrive."

"That is not flirting..."

"Whatever," Kelly dismissed any protest Katie was going to mount with a wave of her hand. She picked up her stack of files and said, "I have to go take Commander Sexy Pants down for another round of physical therapy. I will try to remember that I am a happily married woman and that he's hot for my completely oblivious friend."

While Kelly walked away, Katie looked at Malia and protested, "I am not oblivious. And I am not flirting with Commander McGarrett. Most of the time I am trying not to throttle him."

"It doesn't mean he's not flirting with you," Malia said with a grin, "It's a strange kind of flirting, but it is definitely flirting. Steve knows that all of the superficial nonsense in the world isn't going to work with you, so he gets you to pay attention to him by annoying the crap out of you."

"You're delusional."

"And obviously, it's working…"

"Why did you tell him about Gracie DuBois yesterday?" Katie asked suddenly, looking at her friend accusingly.

Malia recognized the annoyed look in her friends' eyes and said matter of factly, "I was…"

But before she could explain anything, the pager at Katie's waist went off and she reached around the other side of the nurse's station to pick up the phone. After her long fingers had pushed a few buttons, she waited only a moment until she said into the receiver, "Dr. Giordano."

Malia watched her friends' face as she nodded her head and replied, "I'll be there as soon as I can." Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Malia and quipped angrily, "It seems that you are saved by the bell, my friend. I have to go down to the school and get Matt."

"Why?" Malia asked, suddenly concerned.

Anger was blazing out of her green eyes as she whirled around and snapped, "Because he started a food fight in the cafeteria and just got thrown out of school."

"My Matty?" Malia asked in surprise, shocked to hear that they were talking about Katie's beloved son. "My Matty started a food fight?"

"No," Katie said as she pursed her lips in anger, "*my* Matty did."

_**An hour later...**_

When the elevator doors opened, Katie stormed out onto the fourth floor with a dejected Matt trailing right behind her. One look at the little boy's face told everyone that they didn't want to mess with Dr. Giordano at that moment.

"Just sit right there," Katie demanded, pointing at the couches in the reception area. "I am going to find an empty exam room so that we can sew up your lip." With her hands on her hips, she added with a glare, "And then you are going to explain to me how this food fight turned into an all out brawl that ended with you sitting in the principal's office with a black eye and a split lip."

"Mom..."

"What?" Katie snapped, her anger blaring in her eyes.

Whatever Matt was going to say, he changed his mind quickly. Lowering his eyes to the floor, he mumbled, "Can I get a soda or something? I'm thirsty."

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you sent your container of milk flying across the cafeteria."

"I said I was sorry," he mumbled again, still not looking up at her.

"We are way beyond sorry, pal," Katie told him sharply. "You got yourself thrown out of school for the rest of the day and I have no idea what I am going to do with you."

Matt wisely chose not to say anything and instead started to play with the edges of the ice-pack that had been given to him at the school nurse's office. His mother's expression softened a bit as she took her purse off her shoulder and dug out her wallet. Handing him a dollar, she said, "Go get something to drink and come right back here. I'm not kidding. Don't play around or start wandering into people's offices...everyone is working."

As Katie headed off to find an empty exam room, Matt slowly wandered down the long hallway that led away from the patient's room and toward the hospital cafeteria. When he pushed open the door, he noticed that the only person sitting in there was a patient in a wheelchair reading a file and so he didn't say anything. When the man looked up at him and raised his eyebrow at the condition of his face, Matt quickly looked away and walked over to the soda machines across the room. He fed his dollar into the machine and hit the button for a cherry coke.

But nothing happened.

Matt pushed the button again but his soda still didn't arrive. He pushed the button a few more times, applying more force with each push and frustrating the already frazzled little boy. Finally, fed up with the soda machine, he kicked the bottom of it and said, "Stupid machine."

"Hey, careful there."

Matt turned around to see that the unknown patient had wheeled himself up behind him.

"If you destroy the machine, no one will be able to feed their caffeine habits." The patient joked, smiling up at Matt. "And this is a hospital...they have a lot of serious caffeine freaks around here."

"This stupid thing ate my dollar," Matt explained, as if the man hadn't just witnessed the whole thing. "And I don't think my mom will give me another one." He looked up at the stranger sheepishly and said, "She's kind of pissed at me right now."

The man smirked at his new friend and said, "Well, let me see what I can do."

When Matt looked up in gratitude, the man in the wheelchair nodded toward his face and asked, "Rough morning?"

"You could say that."

Matt watched as the dark haired man took his fist and hit the soda machine just above where the sodas came out and then shook the machine a little. When the cherry coke in question magically appeared in the shoot, he looked at Matt and said with a grin, "It's all in the hands, little man."

Matt retrieved his soda and popped the top as he said, "Thank you, Mr...?"

"McGarrett," Steve said as Matt took a sip of his soda. "Steve McGarrett…call me Steve. And you are?"

"Matt," the youngster replied. "But when my mom is pissed at me then my name is Matthew James."

Steve nodded in understanding and then asked, "So what was the fight about? A girl?"

"Mashed potatoes."

"Mashed potatoes?" The Commander repeated. "Someone did that to your face because of mashed potatoes?"

"I threw them at a sixth grader," Matt explained. "Except I was aiming for a fourth grader. And instead of throwing some food back at me, the big kid socked me in the eye."

"And what about the lip?" Steve asked with a grin. "Was that because of a baloney sandwich?"

Matt took another sip of his drink and then shook his head. "I don't know who punched me in the mouth. We all just started hitting each other and we ended up in a big pile on the floor. I think someone might have kicked me in the mouth."

"Did you get in a few good punches at least?"

"Yeah." Matt said, his mouth widening into a grin...which split his lip even further and he grimaced in pain.

"Here, let me look at that," Steve said quickly, maneuvering himself around so that he was level with Matt's face, "You should let someone put some stitches in that for you. It will be pretty quick."

Matt shook his head and said, "My mom is going to do it."

"Do you think that is such a good idea?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow.

"She's a doctor."

"Oh." Steve said, shaking his head as Matt offered up a sip of his soda. "And what about your dad? How do you think he's going to react to this little fight and the mess it made of your face?"

The little boy's face fell at the question and he said sadly, "I never met my dad."

Steve suddenly felt like a huge heel as he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Matt."

"He died before I was born," Matt continued in a quiet voice. "He was a Navy S.E.A.L."

Steve's eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly realized who he was talking to…and who his mother was. _Katie Giordano had a son?_ And then he remembered that the day of their accident, she had been pulling out of an elementary school parking lot. Quickly regaining his senses, he asked quietly, "Was your dad Lieutenant Jimmy Giordano, S.E.A.L. Team Two?"

"How did you know?" The ten year old asked curiously, peering at Steve with sudden interest.

"Let me re-introduce myself," Steve said, holding out his hand to shake Matt's, "Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, S.E.A.L. Team Three."

"You're a S.E.A.L.?" Matt asked in disbelief, "Did you know my dad?"

"We went through training together," Steve informed him, "He was one hel-…heck of a soldier."

"That's what my grandpa says," the young man agreed and then grinned sheepishly as he added, "He says 'hell' too, but we don't tell my mom."

"Good idea," Steve answered with a grin. As he studied Matt's face, he could definitely see traces of his old friend Jimmy in his son. Especially his eyes.

"Did you get that on a mission?" Matt asked, pointing to Steve's bandaged chest.

"Yes, but not a mission for the S.E.A.L.S.," he told his new friend, "I retired from the Navy and am the leader of Five-0 now."

"What's Five-0?"

"It's a state police unit set up to fight crime in the state of Hawaii."

"So you're a cop?"

"Yes," Steve conceded, "but we work for the Governor instead of the Honolulu Police Department."

"Cool."

"Matthew James, I thought I told you to come right back to the waiting area."

The voice of Dr. Katie Giordano startled them both as they turned to see her standing in the doorway pf the cafeteria and glaring at her son. With her hand on her hip, she added, "This is not the day to test my patience."

Steve immediately stood up for Matt by saying, "It's my fault that he didn't come back to you right away. We started..."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" the doctor interrupted with a sigh. "Well...whatever. Come on Matt, let's go."

But Matt wasn't ready to leave just yet. "Mom, did you know that Commander McGarrett was a S.E.A.L.?"

"Yes," Katie informed her curious son. "I think I heard that somewhere."

"And he knew dad!"

Steve couldn't read the expression that suddenly crossed over the surgeon's pretty face. But something in her eyes softened as she said quietly, "I know. Pretty cool, huh?"

"It seems like your family is full of heroes," the Commander said, looking at Matt, "You're mom operated on me after I was shot last week and saved my life."

Matt looked at Steve in surprise and asked, "You're the patient who thinks he's more important than God?"

Katie visibly cringed at her son's recitation of her own words, but Steve surprised her by laughing and saying, "Yes, I guess I am."

"But you're so nice," Matt said in disbelief. Looking at his mother, he explained, "Commander McGarrett helped me get my soda when it was stuck in the machine."

"Yeah," Katie drawled, "he's a real prince."

Matt looked at his mother strangely but didn't say anything as Steve explained, "You just caught me on a good day, Matt. I'm not usually this nice." Glancing at his doctor with a smirk, he added slyly, "Just ask your mother."

"Too bad," Matt said with a shrug, "You were pretty good at being nice. Maybe you should do it more often."

"Maybe I should," Steve agreed, still looking at Katie.

Katie, a little disconcerted at being the object of her handsome patient's stare, looked down at Matt and ushered him out of the cafeteria by saying, "Come on, Matt. Exam room 2 is open and we can get you stitched up in there."

Katie held the door open but before Matt disappeared through it, Steve winked and told him, "She must have calmed down a little. She's calling you Matt again."

"What?" Katie asked, looking at Steve in annoyance.

"Nothing," Steve told her with a smirk as Matt grinned up at him, "It's a private joke."

"Oh really?" Katie asked, not sure she liked her son and Steve McGarrett having a private joke between them.

"Don't worry, mom," Matt said, heading out of the cafeteria, "It's a guy thing."


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy New Year dear readers! I hope you celebrated the beginning of 2012 in style and haven't broken any of your resolutions yet! New Year, new chapter...serious bonding moments! I hope you enjoy this one...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine – Every Mother's Son<strong>

"_You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes."_

~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

_Later that afternoon…_

"_Don't worry, mom, it's a guy thing." _

Those words kept rattling around in Katie's head for the rest of the afternoon. What was that supposed to mean? A guy thing? How could her son have a 'guy thing' with someone he had only known for a matter of minutes? And why wouldn't he tell her about it?

"This is the fifth time you're reading it. Are there words in there you don't understand?"

Katie looked up in confusion and realized that she was still staring absent mindedly at the patient chart Kelly had asked her to sign off on about five minutes ago. Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, she scribbled her signature at the bottom and handed it back to the nurse with a sheepish smile as she apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm a little preoccupied this afternoon."

"I noticed," Nurse Spencer replied with a grin, handing over another file for Katie to look over and sign. "Everything okay?"

"Sure," the doctor lied, perusing the next file and checking her friends' notations.

But Kelly was not only a good nurse, she was a perceptive friend and the mother of two young boys…otherwise known as an expert at telling when people were lying. With a knowing look, she asked, "Is this thing with Matt still bugging you?"

"It's not just the fight anymore," Katie confessed as the two women began walking down the hallway together, "as much as the fact that he won't tell me what the fight was about."

"Don't stress, mom," the nurse said with a grin, nudging her friend playfully with her shoulder, "Matty's a good kid. He'll let you know what's going on with him sooner or later."

"Sooner would be better," the brunette said with a grimace, stopping outside the door of her favorite patient's room. Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "And here we go...time for Round Two."

"I still don't understand why you find spending time with a major hottie as appealing as a boxing match," Kelly said, shaking her head.

"He's not a hottie," Katie corrected her and added, "he's a patient. And I am his doctor."

"You are also a woman," her friend reminded her as she glanced around the corner to sneak a peek at the Commander before she headed off on her rounds.

"I am a **professional **woman," Katie reminded herself quietly, "Which means I cannot date him nor can I pick a fight with him." Pasting a smile on her pink lips, the good doctor walked into Commander McGarrett's room and chirped, "Good afternoon, Commander."

Steve looked up from the file that he was reading and found that he was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Giordano come into the room. He nodded cordially as she opened his chart and then began her standard routines of checking his heart rate, blood pressure, and bandages. Watching every move that she made, he finally asked, "Feeling better this afternoon?"

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" she replied, checking out the readings on his heart monitor. "Good," she murmured and then looked up at him as she added, "Very good. See what happens when you follow doctors orders?"

"Listen, about our relationship so far," Steve began, "You've been out of line and I've been a jackass. Let's just admit that and call a truce."

"I've been out of line?" she repeated, picking up his chart to make a few notations. "I don't seem to remember things that way…"

"Truce?" he interrupted, not wanting to get into another argument with her. He was well aware that the good doctor had had a rough few days.

She didn't answer his question but snapped the chart closed and commanded, "Okay, sit up so I can take a look at my handiwork."

Steve sat up and untied his hospital gown so that she could check his bandages. Sitting there topless and vulnerable while the pretty doctor began unwrapping his bandages so that she could inspect his incision, the Commander suddenly asked, "Can I ask you something personal?"

"And if I say no?"

"Well, I'll just hold my breath, which will stop my heart and kill me." When she looked up at him quizzically, he explained, "I am a duly sworn officer of the law and I can promise you that my team will figure out a way to charge you with murder."

Unwrapping his bandages slowly, she tilted her head and bit back a grin as she asked, "So basically my choices are homicide charges or inappropriate personal questions from a patient?"

"Looks that way."

"Is this how you get serial killers and mobsters to confess?" Katie asked impishly, leaning down to inspect his chest…his completely bare, well-defined chest. Smooth muscles gave him wide shoulders and a slim waist which emphasized his rock-hard abs. If the women of Honolulu Medical Center thought he looked good with his clothes on, it was nothing compared to how he looked with his clothes off. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she smiled and said, "Look at how nicely that is healing…you'll barely have a scar." Turning to pick up the clean pads and bandages a nurse had left on the table, she finally agreed, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"I didn't know you had a son."

Katie's head snapped up quickly and she practically dropped the bandages that she was using to reapply his dressing. She had just managed to calm herself down and now he was bringing the subject of Matt to the forefront again.

"Well now you do," Katie said dismissively and then commanded, "Arms up."

"Why didn't you tell me that you had a son?" Steve asked, feeling completely foolish as he sat there with his arms in the air while she rewrapped the bandages around his torso. But it did give him a chance to inhale the delicate, feminine scent that was Dr. Katie Giordano.

"It didn't come up."

"Don't you think that's kind of odd?" he asked curiously.

"Not really." Katie informed him smugly, standing up straight and securing the bandage she had just rewrapped. Looking down, she reminded him, "Commander, the only conversations we have ever had have been about cars and gunshot wounds and why I won't release you from the hospital before you are fully healed. So I really don't understand why you are so surprised that my child hasn't come up in any of those."

Finished with his bandages, the doctor pulled the blood pressure cuff over to the bed and began to wrap it around Steve's arm as he nodded his head in agreement and murmured, "Right. But I thought that because I knew his father…"

"Lots of people knew his father."

"Lots of people that went through S.E.A.L. school with his father?" Steve asked cautiously, and then added, "And that seems to be a portion of Jimmy's life that Matt seems pretty interested in."

Katie stopped taking his blood pressure and froze. Raising her eyes to look at him, she asked, "What did he tell you about his father?"

Steve immediately knew that he had struck a nerve. But he also knew that he had her undivided attention. So he took the plunge and said, "Matt told me that he never met his father."

"He didn't."

"Because Jimmy was killed before he was born."

"He told you that?" Katie asked quietly as she looked away from him and absent mindedly began to fiddle with the blood pressure machine. Steve nodded and the room was completely silent as she listened through her stethoscope and then made a notation on his chart. She released his arm from the cuff and informed him, "140 over 85…still a little high, but much better than yesterday."

"Did Jimmy know that there was a baby?"

"He knew," she said quietly, coming back to stand next to his bed. "He was so excited and he really wanted to be there when he was born. But, duty called and Uncle Sam needed him more than we did. He got orders to Kosovo only a month before Matt was born..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away as Steve waited for her to compose herself. Finally, she looked back at him and said, "He named his son, though. After a church in Brooklyn near where he grew up...St. Matthew's. He had a couple of rough years as a teenager before he got himself straightened out and he used to sleep in that church when things were bad at home. He said he always felt safe there and he wanted his son to have a name that made him feel safe."

Steve smiled and suddenly didn't know where to take the conversation next. Finally, he said, "He's a good kid."

When Katie looked up at him and smiled at his compliment...it took his breath away.

"Yeah, he is." she agreed quietly and then wrinkled up her nose as she added, "When he's not throwing food around the school cafeteria."

"Those things happen when you're ten," Steve said with a grin. "Where is he now?"

"Serving out his punishment back in the cafeteria." The petite brunette informed him. "Miss Gracie, head of food service, was very happy to have a little helper around to clean up the tables, stock the shelves, and take the trash out to the dumpster."

"A little manual labor is good for the soul."

"Exactly," Katie agreed. "And it keeps him out of everyone's hair for the next few days."

"Few days?"

"Two days suspension for fighting and one for refusing to tell anyone what the fight was about," she informed him and then frowned as she added, "Including me."

"It must have been tough to raise him alone."

"I was never really alone," Katie confessed, looking over Steve's chart to make sure that all of her notations were correct. Looking back up at him, she explained, "My family and Jimmy's parents were with me after the funeral and right up until Matt was born. Both of our mom's stayed for at least a year after that. I was doing my residency at the Base hospital at Little Creek at the time, so I was surrounded by other S.E.A.L. families who took really good care of us. You know how that goes," she chuckled when he nodded and then she said, "Plus my brother was stationed only a few hours away at Quantico…"

"Your brother is a Marine?"

"All four of them are," she corrected before reminding him, "It's the family business, after all."

"Right," Steve said and then asked, "So why did you leave Virginia?"

"When I was finished with my residency, Honolulu Medical had an opening for a trauma surgeon," Katie informed him simply, shrugging her shoulders as if the decision had been a no brainer. "I took it as a sign that we had been too far away from family for too long and so we came home."

"Honolulu is home?"

"Well, I was a marine brat for most of my life but we settled here in Honolulu when I was about 13."

"I'm surprised we never ran into each other," Steve mused, knowing that he would have certainly remembered running into the beautiful doctor.

"I'm not," Katie said with a chuckle, "My father was a wee bit overprotective of his daughter growing up around all those marines. I was lucky that he let me leave the house, let alone the base."

"Well, if I had a daughter like you I think I would be equally as cautious," Steve agreed with a laugh, causing her to give him a funny look. He was being quite…charming. What was going on here? Could she have misjudged him? Her son had certainly latched on to him pretty quickly.

"Thank you," Katie accepted the compliment with a smile but then the sentimental moment was over as quickly as it had began when she retreated into doctor mode and warned, "But flattery doesn't mean I'm going to let you go home before you are healed." And then winking at him as she headed to the door, she added, "But you're getting closer."

Shaking her head as she walked out into the hallway, Katie barely noticed when Malia sidled up beside her and fell into step next to her as she quipped, "Well, I didn't hear any breaking glass so I'm assuming that you and Commander Sexy Pants have called a truce."

"We were never at war," the doctor replied lightly and then added, "You really have to come up with a new name for him."

"Something along the lines of 'The Future Mr. Dr. Giordano'?" her friend asked playfully.

"We've managed to have two civilized conversations and you are ready to marry us off?" Katie asked in mock surprise and then teased, "You are a strange and scary little woman…wedding fever is definitely affecting your brain."

"Which is why you love me," Malia shot back with a grin. Glancing up at the clock, she asked, "Headed home?"

"Yep," Katie replied, heading to the lounge to grab her things, "I'm going to collect my little delinquent and take him home for the sentencing phase."

"Go easy on him, mom," Malia said with a laugh as she walked on down the hall, "He's a good kid."

"So, I've been told," Katie mused as she headed off to the cafeteria. Ten minutes later she and her good kid were walking out to her car in the bright Hawaiian sunshine.

"How much trouble am I in?" he asked quietly as they walked through the parking lot.

"Enough," Katie replied, trying to keep her tone even. "You are going to have a suspension on your record and you have a black eye, so this day could have turned out better." Digging her keys out of her purse, she told him with an exasperated sigh, "I didn't need this today, Matty. I really didn't need this."

"Oh, but I did?" Matt shot back, slamming himself into the front seat of her car. "It wasn't a lot of fun for me to get punched in the eye, you know!"

"Then why did you get into a fight?" she asked him, starting the car and pulling out of her parking spot.

"It just happened."

"It didn't just happen," Katie informed him in frustration. "People don't go around punching people for no reason. So why don't you just tell me what happened?"

"You don't understand."

"So, help me understand," his mother told him, turning onto the main street. "Tell me what's going on with you."

"You can't understand..."

Katie blinked back her hot tears of frustration as they drove in silence for a few more blocks. She and Matt had always had such a good relationship and the fact that he wouldn't tell her something so important was killing her. Finally, she turned left onto the road that led down to the beach.

"Where are we going?" Matt asked, looking around in confusion.

"When I'm upset, I eat shave ice," Katie told him, pulling into a parking spot near the Wailoa Shave Ice Stand. "We are both upset, so I figured we could use a little treat."

"I get into a fight at school, get thrown out, and you take me for shave ice?" Matt asked in disbelief.

"Well, I have been reminded today by a few people that you are a good kid," she told him in her defense, "and I have had a rough couple of days. So take advantage of this while you can." Katie opened her car door and got out. She waited a moment for him to follow her, and when he fell into step beside her, she added, "But don't tell your grandfather. Or Miss Gracie."

Matt nodded as the pair stopped to peruse the menu and his mother asked, "Wanna share a Hawaiian blend?"

The ten year old screwed up his face and shook his head as he replied, "No way…I don't like the banana part. I want rainbow."

"We could get lemon instead of banana…"

"I want rainbow," he insisted and then turned to give his order to the large man at the window. Katie rolled her eyes and ordered a pina colada for herself before following her son to a nearby picnic table.

"So," Katie said, making another attempt at conversation, "do you want to tell me about the fight now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Can't we just drop it, mom?" Matt pleaded, looking out at the ocean to avoid her stare.

"No, we can't just drop it," she told him. "This is a big deal, Matty."

"They're letting me go back to school in a couple of days," he said with a shrug.

"That's not the point."

"Right," Matt sneered, the snotty tone that had disappeared after his outburst returning again, "The point is that you don't understand."

Katie wasn't going there with him again. So, they sat quietly at their table until Kamekona appeared with their shave ices. "Here we go, gang," the owner of the establishment chirped as he set down their ice. Looking down at Matt, he asked, "Hey brah, aren't you supposed to be in school at this time of day?"

"I'm sick," Matt answered sarcastically, digging into his treat.

Kamekona looked a bit shocked, then noticed Matt's eye, and Katie simply gave him a look to tell him to ignore the youngster's outburst and then mouthed, "I'm sorry."

The jovial man shrugged it off and grinned at Katie as he said, "Well, you guys enjoy your sick day," before heading back to the counter.

"He was just being nice to you, Matthew," Katie chastised when Kamekona was gone. "Just because you are mad at me, doesn't mean that you have to be rude to everyone else."

"I'm not mad at you," he answered simply, shoving a spoonful of shave ice into his mouth.

Katie figured she'd let that one go without an answer. He probably wasn't really mad at her. He was just mad. Taking a big spoonful of her own, she said, "Do you know that your dad got thrown out of school once too? More than once, actually."

"He did?"

"Yep." Katie answered, nodding her head with a smile. "He waited a little longer than you did though. He was in eighth grade, I think."

"For fighting?"

"Food fighting, just like you. It must run in the family," Katie drawled sarcastically, "He started one of the biggest food fights in the history of Walt Whitman Junior High in Brooklyn. It's legendary. He was very proud of it."

"Cool."

"He thought so," Katie mused, remembering back to the conversation when Jimmy had told her all about it, "Grandma Angie said he came home covered in food...it was in his hair and all over his clothes. He even had fruit cocktail in his shoes."

"What did Grandma and Poppy do?"

"They were mad," Katie told him, her eyes widening, "Your dad told me he was grounded for months after that."

Matt grinned as he savored another bite of shave ice with a new respect for his father. Wiping syrup off his mouth, he said, "But I bet it was worth it."

"Not really," Katie said, shaking her head and taking another bite of her ice. "Part of his punishment was that he had to work at Grandma and Poppy's restaurant."

"Like me and the hospital cafeteria."

"Oh, did I forget to mention that he had to work there cleaning the toilets and the dumpster out back?"

"Gross," Matt shuddered, making a face at the smelly work.

"That's what your dad said," Katie said with a laugh.

"So, is that story supposed to teach me a lesson?" Matt asked with a smirk.

"Did it?"

"Well, I'm not going to start another food fight when I get back to school if that's what you mean."

"Good enough for me," Katie said with a grin, glad to have her Matty back, "Actually, I told you that because ...well, I was talking to Commander McGarrett today and he said you seemed interested in your dad's time with the S.E.A.L.s. And I know that I don't know a lot about that part of his life, but I do have lots of good stories about other times in his life..."

"I've heard all of those stories," he reminded her and then looked up at her with a hopeful look as he said, "So maybe you could ask Commander McGarrett if he could tell me some stories about dad when he was a S.E.A.L.?"

Katie sighed and said, "Matt…"

But the youngster wasn't done pleading his case as he continued, "Because when I tell kids at school that my dad was a S.E.A.L., I don't think they always believe me because I don't know too much about it and because his death was classified. But if I had some stories that I could tell them, then they would know he was a real hero."

"He was a hero, Matty," his mother told him, blinking back the tears that sprung into her eyes, "It doesn't matter what those kids at school think."

"Yes it does," he mumbled, looking down at what remained of his shave ice, "It matters to me."

"Okay," Katie conceded as her heart ached for him, "we'll see what Commander McGarrett has to say."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey gang! Thanks again for the continuous support of this fic...it keeps me motivated. **_

_**I have such trouble writing conversations between two people because I always feel like I'm writing their names over and over and over again with the dialog. So that is why I switch around and call him Commander or McGarrett or various other things. I can't figure out which is more annoying...continuously writing Steve, Steve, Steve or to keep changing how I refer to him. I hope it doesn't ruin the flow to the conversation, because I think that part came out really well. **_

_**I do want to clear up the fact that Matt's food fight was not about kids teasing him about his father...that was just something that he and Katie were talking about. We (and when I say 'we' I mean Steve) find out the reason for the fight in this chapter. I think some of you may be surprised at what I came up with for that one! Enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten – Guy Stuff<strong>

"_The only difference between men and boys are the size of their shoes and the price of their toys."_

~ Lucilla Lavender

_The next day…_

"So, you're back again?"

Matt Giordano looked up from where he was stocking cans in the pantry of the Honolulu Medical Center kitchens to see his new friend, Commander Steve McGarrett, leaning in the doorway and watching his every move.

Shaking his head, Matt muttered, "My mom gave me the choice of this or cleaning out bedpans for the nurses." Wrinkling up his freckled nose, he added, "I figured that cans of tomatoes and fruit cocktail had to be better than bedpans."

"Why aren't you in school?"

"I got suspended for three days," Matt informed him, placing cans of pork and beans on a nearby shelf. "Two days for the food fight and one day for not telling anyone what happened."

"Would they take a day off of your sentence if you told them what the food fight was about?" Steve asked, moving further into the room.

"Even if they did, I'm not telling," Matt told him matter of factly.

"Why not?"

"Because the principal would tell my mom and I don't want her to know."

"And what does your mom think about that?"

"She grounded me until I tell her the whole story," Matt muttered, picking up more cans from a nearby box. "Which means I'm not going to get to leave my room until I'm fifty. If I'm lucky."

Changing the subject, Steve asked, "Do you think they are going to give you a lunch break?"

Matt shrugged and asked, "Why?"

"Because they finally let me walk around without that stupid wheelchair and I was sort of looking for someone to have lunch with," Steve answered honestly. He pulled a can of soda and a bag of chips out of his pocket and handed them to Matt. "I think the soda machine out there is afraid of me now because it gave me an extra cherry coke this morning. And a bag of Doritos."

Matt looked at him skeptically and said, "The soda machine gave you Doritos?"

Steve winked, held up his hands, and said, "I told you...it's all in the hands."

Matt looked around the room and then said uncertainly, "I don't know. If my mom or Miss Gracie comes in and I'm not working..."

"You have to eat, don't you?" Steve reasoned. "Your mom may be mad at you, but I don't think she wants you to go hungry."

Matt considered the Commander's suggestion and then asked, "Does everyone who works here get a lunch break?"

"It's got to be in the rule book somewhere," Steve assured him. "Every working man gets a lunch break."

The youngster drew in a deep breath and said, "Okay, but let's eat in here. If Miss Gracie sees me hanging out in the cafeteria...she'll find something else for me to do."

"Deal," Steve said with a grin, turning over a couple of nearby milk crates and sitting down on one.

"Did you talk to my mom today?" Matt asked, sitting on the crate next to his new friend and opening his bag of chips.

"I haven't seen your mom this morning," Steve confessed and suddenly frowned at the tone in the youngster's voice, "Why?"

Shrugging his shoulders and avoiding eye contact, Matt responded quietly, "There was something she was going to ask you, but Aunt Malia said she has been busy down in the ER all day. She'll probably ask you later."

"Sounds important," Steve mused, his interest definitely piqued.

"It is."

"So why don't you ask me?"

"Because it would be better if my mom did it," the ten year old answered and then changed the subject by asking suddenly, "Do you want to know what the worst part of being grounded is?"

Realizing that the kid was as good at switching subjects as his mother, Steve played along and guessed, "No t.v.?"

Katie's son shook his head and answered, "Now that I'm grounded, I'm never going to get to play football."

"You play football?" Steve asked in surprise, unwrapping the sandwich he had chosen from the cafeteria for lunch.

Matt rolled his eyes and then said sarcastically, "I'm on a Pop Warner team and I wear the uniform...but I don't actually get to play football."

"Why not?"

Matt paused and looked down at his soda for a long time before he admitted, "I'm not any good. So I just sit on the bench. I'm like a cheerleader who doesn't wear a skirt."

The Commander chuckled at the cheerleader comment and asked, "What position do you play when you're not on the bench."

"Quarterback."

"That's cool," Steve said, taking a sip of his own soda. "Quarterback is the glamour position."

"But I told you I'm not any good," Matt reminded him. "I'm a quarterback who can't throw the ball ten feet."

"Ten feet is a good start," McGarrett told him, trying to make him feel better.

"Not when Joel Hyatt can throw the ball the whole length of the football field," Matt remarked dryly.

"Oh," Steve said knowingly, biting back a grin. "And Joel Hyatt is the 1st string quarterback?"

"His dad coaches the Kukui High School football team," the ten year old informed him, as if Steve didn't know the coach of his alma mater, "He could throw a football before most kids could even walk." Shaking his head in defeat, he added, "My coach barely remembers my name."

"But this is Pop Warner league...doesn't everybody have to play?"

Matt shrugged again and said, "I was hoping that if I practiced hard enough then I could maybe play in one of the last games of the season. But now that I'm grounded...my mom won't let me go to football practice, either. So if I can't practice, then I won't get to play."

"Can't you practice at home?" Steve suggested.

"With who?" Matt quipped. "My mom doesn't play football."

"Don't you have anyone else who can teach you?"

Matt shook his head and said, "Nope...that's why I'm so bad." Munching on a Dorito, he explained, "My grandpa tried to help...but he said he was more of a hockey and lacrosse guy and that he was better at watching football than playing it. And all of my uncles live far away, so we only get to see them on the holidays and vacations."

"Hmm," the Naval Commander mused, "so there is something that General Frank James can't do. Good to know."

Matt popped the top off of his cherry coke and looked back at Steve as he asked, "You know my grandpa?"

"Kid, there are very few people on this island who don't know who your grandpa is," Steve told him teasingly, "What I didn't know is that there is something I can do that he can't do."

"You play football?" Matt asked. "What position?"

"Quarterback."

"You're a quarterback?" The youngster asked in excitement. Then raising his eyebrow, Matt asked, "Are you any good?"

"I got a full scholarship to play for the University of Florida," Steve informed him, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"You were a Gator?" Matt asked, brimming over with excitement. "I love the Gators!"

But the Commander shook his head and said, "I didn't take it. I decided to go to the Naval Academy instead."

"Are you nuts?" Matt asked incredulously, his excitement bubble bursting. "Does Annapolis even have a football team?"

"Yes," Steve chuckled. "But I gave up football for the S.E.A.L.s."

"Do you still play?"

"I play with some buddies on the weekends when I have some time off, which isn't very often. It's just a bunch of us getting together to blow off some steam," the leader of Five-0 told him, "Nothing serious."

Matt dropped his line of questions and the two ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, the youngster worked up the courage to ask, "Could you teach me to throw sometime?"

Steve looked down at him and grinned, "Sure...when your mom releases me. But aren't you grounded?"

"Oh yeah," Matt muttered dejectedly, looking back down at his bag of chips. "And I'll probably still be grounded by the time she lets you get out of the hospital."

"But," Steve suggested slyly, "if you tell your mom why you started the food fight...maybe she'd let me take you to the park to throw the ball around when I get out of here."

Matt seemed to be considering his suggestion for a moment, but then he shook his head and said, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't tell her."

"Is it that bad?" Steve asked, wondering what could possibly be bad enough to cause this kid to willingly miss football practice. Matt nodded, so he asked, "Why don't you tell me first? I was a ten year old boy once with a strict mom and maybe I can..."

"If I can't tell her," Matt said, suddenly angry, "then why would I tell you?"

Steve wondered what nerve he had just struck, so he took a minute to regroup. Trying again, he asked slowly, "It just seems like something you need to talk about and...well...I don't have the power to ground you. So, it's kind of safe to tell me...if you want to."

"You'll tell my mom," Matt accused, munching on another Dorito.

"Well, actually...I don't know if you noticed this," McGarrett said with a smirk, "but your mom doesn't like me too much. So, we don't talk about anything but my surgery and if I'm doing what the nurses tell me to do."

Matt looked up in surprise and asked, "My mom doesn't like you? She likes everybody."

Steve rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I guess I am just special..."

"Are you mean to her?" Matt asked, jumping from angry to surprised to protective so quickly that it almost made his head spin, "Because if you're mean to her, then I don't want to talk to you either."

Steve was impressed with Matt's loyalty to his mother and doubly impressed that Katie didn't tell Matt about how much she seemed to dislike him. After she found them in the cafeteria together, Steve was sure she would have told Matt to stay away from him.

"I'm not really mean to her," Steve tried to explain. "Your mother..." He stopped and then changed his course by saying, "It's different with adults." The Commander paused again and then simply said, "But, I promise...if you ask me not to, I won't tell your mom what the fight was about."

Matt was silent again as he munched on his chips. Finally, he said quietly, "If you tell my mom, I'll hate you. I swear I will hate you."

"Okay," Steve said, preparing himself for something big. "Now I know the consequences. And since you're one of the only guys around this hospital to talk to, I definitely don't want you to hate me. So, I swear that I won't tell your mom. Your secret will never leave this pantry."

Matt looked up at Steve again and studied his face, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. Something about the former S.E.A.L. must have convinced the boy because he took a deep breath and said, "Joel Hyatt..."

"The quarterback," Steve said, proving to the kid that he was paying attention.

"Yeah," Matt affirmed and then continued, "He's not a nice guy and nobody really likes him. But all the football guys sit at the same table at lunch, so he sits with us. Well, my friend Alex and I were talking about my mom taking us surfing out at the beach last weekend..."

Steve nodded as he silently wondered where this story was headed.

"Anyway," Matt started again, "Joel heard us talking and he shouted something about wanting to see my mom in a bikini because she has a rockin' ass."

"A rockin' ass?" Steve tried to hide his surprise and bit back the laugh that was rumbling up within him.

"Yeah and then he kept telling all the other guys that she also had 'a killer rack'," Matt said defensively, looking down at the floor. Steve could tell that he was clearly embarrassed about the entire conversation, but then he said angrily, "He can't talk that way about my mom."

Wishing that Matt would look back up at him, Steve asked quietly, "What did you do?"

"Alex and the guys told me to ignore him because he was just being a jerk..."

"It sounds like you have smart friends."

"But I didn't listen to them," Matt confessed quietly, "Because you can't ignore something like that, you know. I just couldn't let him talk that way about her. If I didn't do something, kids would think it was okay to say things like that about my mom. And it's not."

_Katie Giordano raised one hell of a kid,_ Steve thought to himself silently. Out loud, he asked, "What did you do?"

"Joel kept talking about my mom in a bikini and making rude comments about her and I just got so mad...I picked up the milk container and I threw it at him." Matt took another sip of his drink and said, "And then I kinda lost my mind and threw my mashed potatoes at him, too. Then all the guys jumped in and started throwing food at him."

"And when did the punching begin?"

"After I threw the mashed potatoes," Matt told him. "I hit him right in the face and he had mashed potatoes all over him. Joel got really pissed and ran over and slugged me. And then all the guys jumped on him for hitting me, so I jumped into the pile too. I mean, they were defending me...so I should be in the middle of it, right?"

"Well..." Steve hedged, trying not to grin. He knew he was going to be unsuccessful, so instead he asked, "What about the lip?"

"I really don't know who did that, like I told you," Matt answered, "It might have been one of my friends who kicked me in the mouth, but I don't want to get any of them in trouble...they were fighting because of me."

"Right," Steve agreed with a nod.

"So, I can't tell my mom the real reason because she will feel bad," Matt concluded dejectedly, hanging his head again. "But she won't let me off grounding unless I tell her the whole story. And she'll know if I'm lying."

"I think your mom might be cooler about this than you might think." Steve suggested, looking over at Matt. "I mean, if she knows you were fighting to defend her honor...women eat that stuff up."

"No!" Matt exclaimed, his eyes widening. "I can't tell her all those things that Joel said about her."

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing," the boy mumbled, shrugging his shoulders before asking, "Would you want to tell your mom something like that?"

The kid had him there, so he lightened the moment by teasing, "Women like to be told they have rockin' asses."

"By ten year olds?" Matt asked skeptically, raising his eyebrow at the Commander.

Steve let out a large sigh, mainly to keep from falling over in a hysterical fit of laughter at the entire situation, and the two guys sat in silence again. Finally he asked, "Do you want me to try and talk to her?"

Matt was immediately back in protective mode again as he exclaimed, "You promised that..."

Steve held up his hands in surrender as he explained, "I won't tell her about the reason for the fight. I'll just tell her that you and I talked about it and..."

"You said that she doesn't like you," Matt interrupted, looking at Steve skeptically. "Why would she believe you?"

"Maybe I could have Dr. Weston talk to her instead."

"Aunt Malia would definitely tell her what the fight was about," Matt informed him, "They are more like sisters than friends and they tell each other everything."

Steve thought again and asked, "Does your mom have a boyfriend we could get to help us?"

Matt shook his head and said, "My mom hasn't had a boyfriend in a long time."

"Oh," Steve said, secretly pleased to hear that bit of information, "Well, maybe she would talk to me...if she knew it was about you."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

The former S.E.A.L. looked at his young friend strangely and asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Matt shrugged and said, "If you don't have a girlfriend, maybe you could be her boyfriend. And then she would listen to you."

"She doesn't like me, remember?" Steve reminded him, raising his eyebrow as he smirked, "Girlfriends and boyfriends usually have to like each other...at least a little bit."

"Oh yeah," Matt said, but looked up at him with a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Steve asked, not liking the look.

"Nothin'," Matt said with a grin. "How come you don't have a girlfriend?"

"Because I'm a busy guy. Now can we get back on topic?" Steve asked quickly. "We have to figure out a way to get you out of this."

"Get who out of what?"

Steve and Matt both turned at the sound of Katie's voice when she suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, mom," Matt chirped, looking guiltily up at Steve as they both wondered how much of the conversation she had overheard.

"Hi, son," Katie drawled, recognizing the guilty look on her son's face. "What's going on in here?"

"I'm stocking the pantry shelves for Miss Gracie," Matt replied and then gestured to Steve as he added, "And Commander McGarrett brought me some lunch."

"Well, I guess we had the same idea," Katie said, holding up the sandwich and juice she was carrying. Then looking down at what Steve brought, she added dryly, "But I guess a tuna sandwich and apple juice is not much compared to cherry coke and Doritos."

"I'm still hungry," Matt informed her, taking the sandwich and drink from his mother and hoping that she would turn around and leave after making her delivery. But she didn't. Instead she stood there glaring at Commander McGarrett.

"He's working hard," Steve informed his doctor, "So, I thought he needed a caffeine break. And I happened to see him while I was walking around, so..."

"What are you doing walking around, by the way?"

"Don't worry," he told her with a smirk, "I have permission from Nurse Kelly…she gave me time off for good behavior, worden."

"He was just being nice to me, mom," Matt piped up.

"And talking to you about more 'guy stuff'?" Katie sneered, "Like plotting how to get Matt out of trouble?"

Both Matt and Steve looked down at the floor and didn't answer. Katie shook her head as she walked over to her son and tried again, "Matthew James...I asked you a question."

"We were talking about football," Steve supplied, hoping to help.

"I was asking him!" Katie hissed, never turning to look at her patient.

Matt looked up at his mother, surprised to hear such nastiness coming from her, and said, "We *_were_* talking about football. Did you know that Commander McGarrett was a quarterback?"

"No, I didn't," Katie told him. "But I don't understand why..."

"We were trying to figure out how to get him some more playing time," Steve said again, not really lying to her. If they could figure out how to get Matt out of trouble, he could start teaching him how to throw a football, and thus...get him some more playing time.

Katie looked over at Steve with a curious expression and then back down at her son. She knew how much Matt wanted to learn to throw the football farther. Moving closer to him, she asked quietly, "Did he offer to give you some pointers?"

"Yes," Matt answered slowly, "But I told him that I was grounded."

Katie pursed her lips and looked back down at her son before looking over at Steve. But before she could say anything else, her pager went off. Looking down at it, she said, "Matty, I have to go back down to the ER and check on a patient. But, we'll talk about this some more on the way home...okay?"

"Okay," Matt mumbled.

She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head as she said, "Eat your lunch and then get back to work. I don't want you to get in any more trouble."

Matt nodded and Katie left the pantry...without another word to Steve.

When Matt looked up at him, Steve grinned and said, "There may be some hope, yet. Your mom really loves you."

"Yeah," Matt muttered, shaking his head, "but she really can't stand you."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Not too much to say about this chapter except that I enjoyed writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven – Little Black Dress<strong>

"_My hands, they're strong_

_But my knees were far too weak_

_To stand in your arms_

_Without falling to your feet."_

~Adele, Set Fire to the Rain

_A few nights later…_

It had been a few days since Steve had seen his comely doctor or her precocious son and he was surprised to find that he missed them both. Matt had obviously served out his sentence and was busy acquiring knowledge and defending woman-kind back in the hallways of Kauluwela Elementary School. And after an informal interrogation of the nursing staff, he had found out that Katie had turned his recovery over to the nurses and physical therapists since he was making such amazing progress. For the first time in his life, he cursed his sturdy and powerful body.

So when he noticed Dr. Giordano making her way through the hospital cafeteria one night on his way back from recreational therapy, he was not surprised to feel a twinge of excitement flutter in his gut. But as he made his way closer and let his eyes travel the length of her, it was an entirely different part of his body that responded.

Gone were the baggy, comfortable scrubs and pristine white lab coat that she usually wore…they had been replaced by one of the most spectacular little black dresses that Steve had ever seen. And when he said little, he meant little. It is said that every woman has a coveted little black dress, or has had one at some time, but the Commander bet that none of them looked as good as the one worn by the good doctor. Eyeing the spaghetti thin straps, the ridiculously low-cut neckline, and the way the dress clung to the curves and planes of her body, Steve wondered what sort of undergarments – if any – a woman would wear under a dress like that.

She radiated beauty in the simplest but most extraordinary way, standing there in the silky black dress that was far, far too short to be worn for innocent intentions. The long, chestnut hair that was usually pulled haphazardly back into a messy ponytail now fell in elegant waves at her shoulders and her tanned skin and green eyes were vibrant against the dark fabric of the dress. As his gaze travelled down her well toned, stocking-clad legs to the positively dangerous looking stiletto heels _(which probably cost more than his truc_k), it took all of his self-control not to pull her onto his lap and kiss her completely senseless.

"Cream, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon...right?"

Katie Giordano rolled her eyes as she glanced at the cup of coffee that had suddenly appeared on the table she had chosen in the far corner of the cafeteria.

"Do you think you could wear a bell around your neck so that I will know when you are lurking around?" she drawled, looking up at a smirking Commander Steve McGarrett as he settled himself down in the seat across from her.

"I brought Lilikoi Malasadas, too," Steve said, holding up a pastry bag which contained Portuguese donuts filled with passion fruit curd from a bakery down the street.

"Where did you get those?"

"I had Danny smuggle them in for me," he told her confidently. "The desserts here leave a little to be desired. Besides, we thought we could bribe you into letting me out of here sooner. What's that saying? You catch more flies with passion fruit donuts than with..."

"Did Malia tell you that those are my favorites?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Nope," he said, settling himself down on a chair across from her, "Matt did."

The leader of Five-0 opened the bakery bag and handed her a donut as she said, "So, is this going to be an everyday occurrence? Coffee and snacks? Because if it is...I'm going to find a supply closet to lock myself in so that I can get some work done."

"Every day? I haven't seen you much recently," he said, taking out a donut for himself. Allowing his eyes to roam again, he added slyly, "I didn't know that filling out paperwork at this hospital was a formal affair."

"I had a date," she informed him shortly, not looking up from the pile of aforementioned paperwork.

"Here?" Steve asked with a smirk, taking a sip of his coffee.

"It ended early."

Checking the clock on the far wall, he told her, "It's 8 o'clock."

"It ended very early," she repeated shortly.

"Before it even began, I'm guessing…" Steve mused, taking a bite out of his donut. Widening his eyes, he said, "Wow, these are good."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, putting her pen down with a surprising amount of force and finally bringing her eyes up to meet his.

"It means that these are really delicious donuts…"

"Not that," Katie snapped, fire flashing from her eyes, "What did you mean about my date ending before it even began."

"I meant that your date obviously didn't show up…"

"Commander…"

Ignoring her angry interruption, Steve continued quickly, "…because any guy who got a look at you in that dress would not have left you alone to fill out paperwork in an empty hospital cafeteria."

She looked stunned by his words and Steve had to bite his lip to keep from grinning at her obvious surprise. Whatever she was going to say in response was lost and instead she said quietly, "That was a very nice thing to say."

"I am a very nice guy when you get to know me."

Taking a sip of the coffee he brought her, she eyed him suspiciously over the rim of her cup. Putting it down and pulling off a small piece of the Lilikoi Malasadas, she admittedly haughtily, "I got dumped, okay? Are you happy now?"

Steve silently wondered what the hell was wrong with men on this island as he asked out loud, "Why would that make me happy?"

Realizing that she had been rude, Katie chewed slowly on her bite of donut and then stumbled through an awkward explanation as she said, "Because…I don't…I don't know why I said that."

"I thought we called a truce."

Katie shook her head and told him, "Apparently, we did...even though we weren't at war. But now, I am rethinking that decision."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know if I like this unholy alliance you are forming with my son."

"There's nothing unholy about it." Steve informed her, taking another sip of his coffee and taking a bite of his donut. Damn, they were good. Who knew he liked passion fruit so much? "Matt's a good kid. I like him."

"I like him, too," the surgeon said with a shrug, "It's you that I have the problem with."

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. "Because you are so good at hiding it."

She wrinkled up her gorgeous face at his comment and if he didn't know any better Steve would have thought she was trying to stifle a laugh. He watched her avoid his gaze as she played with the coffee cup for a moment and then he asked, "Are you going to drink that?"

"Why?" she asked, unconsciously pulling the cup closer to her, "If I don't, are you going to take it away and use it to try and make friends with someone else?"

"No," Steve told her with a smile, "You seem to be the only one around here who I have to work so hard to be friends with."

"Look Commander McGarrett…"

"Why do you do that?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Call me Commander McGarrett."

"Isn't that your name?"

"Yes," he agreed, "but I have another name. It's Steve. Why don't you ever call me Steve?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, actually, it does."

"You are my patient," Katie said, picking up her coffee to take another sip before muttering to herself, "Why do I have to keep reminding people of that?"

"What people?"

"Hmmm?" she asked, clearly distracted. Although he was very, very good at maintaining a standard, neutral expression, she got a little thrill out of the fact that his gaze kept traveling down her body, lingering long enough to not be indecent.

"You just said that you have to keep reminding people that I am your patient," Steve said, snapping her back to reality, "Why is that?"

"Because…" As she realized that she didn't want to answer his question truthfully but she was not good at coming up with a convincing lie on the spot, she simply sputtered, "What are you doing here again?"

He raised his eyebrow at her obvious discomfort and then said, "I brought you coffee. And donuts."

"So is that some kind of binding contract between us now?" Katie asked, putting the cup of coffee down. "Because if I had known that this coffee came with strings attached..."

"Why don't you like me?"

"What?"

"You don't like me," Steve reminded her before saying, "And I want to know why."

"It's not that I don't like you…"

"But?"

It took her only a moment to gather herself up and put the rattled pieces of her mind back together as she looked at him coldly and asked, "What kind of game are you playing with my son?"

"What?"

The sudden change in her demeanor was sobering and Steve sat up straighter as he tried to figure out just how the conversation had gone so horribly wrong. They went from engaging in some harmless flirting to accusations of mind games.

"I'm not playing any kind of games with Matt," Steve told her firmly, feeling a bit self righteous, "I would never do that to him."

"Then what exactly is going on with the two of you?" Katie demanded and it was obvious that this had been bothering her for awhile. "First I find you talking to him in the cafeteria and then the other day the two of you are having lunch in the pantry and talking about football like old friends. I don't understand what you are trying to..."

"He's my friend."

"He's ten!" she reminded him forcefully. Realizing that frustration had caused her voice to be louder than she had anticipated, she lowered her register and continued, "Ten year old boys are not friends with thirty something detectives…it's creepy."

"Sometimes they are," Steve said evenly, not sure he was following her logic, "Especially when those ten year old boys don't have a father around to..."

She didn't interrupt him at that point, but she really didn't have to. If he thought her eyes had been flashing fire at him before, those words had triggered bright green daggers and lightning bolts aimed in his direction. Realizing that he had crossed into the danger zone again, he quickly regrouped and said, "Look, I'm not inviting him over for a sleepover or anything weird…we're talking about tossing a football around."

"Why?"

"Because your son wants to learn how to throw a football," Steve informed her as he watched her visibly try to gain control of her emotions. Allowing her the time to do that, he added, "And you want him to learn how to throw a football. Whether you like it or not, you know that I can teach him how to throw a football." He leaned on the table and smiled a teasing smile up at her as he said slyly, "Word around the 4th floor is that you are letting me out of here on or around Friday morning. So...should we say around 1:00 on Saturday? I'll pick him up…"

"You're not going to be in any shape to throw a football around by Saturday," Katie interrupted stiffly. Being in doctor mode was her safe zone and this conversation was way out of her comfort zone, so she continued lecturing, "You will be on strict instructions to rest and you'll be riding a desk at work for at least another month."

"So I'll get some of the guys to show him how to throw while I give helpful pointers from my wheelchair…"

"Matt is grounded," Katie reminded him, trying her best to ignore his attempt at humor, "So even if I agreed to let you teach him how to throw the football...Saturday at 1:00 is not a good time. No time is a good time, at least for the foreseeable future."

"About that..."

"About what?" she asked, beginning to get irritated with him again.

"About Matt being grounded..." Steve began, trying to ease into this part of the conversation.

"Yes?"

"I think you should let him off the hook."

"Oh really?" The surgeon asked, raising her eyebrow at him. "And why should I do that? So that this little football practice that you've planned can fit into your busy schedule? I don't think so."

"It has nothing to do with me or my schedule," he told her calmly. "You should let Matt off the hook because he's a good kid who is in an impossible situation..."

"Are you calling me impossible?"

"No." Steve reassured her in his best peacemaking voice. "I am calling the situation impossible."

"What situation would that be?"

"I can't tell you," he told her quietly, resisting the desire to close his eyes and shake his head because he knew that things were about to get a lot more complicated for the two of them.

"You can't tell me?" Katie asked incredulously. "I am his mother..."

"Which is exactly why I can't tell you," Steve insisted. "Because you are his mother and there are some things that a ten year old boy cannot tell his mother."

"But he can tell you?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I am a guy."

"So this is more guy stuff?" Katie sneered sarcastically.

"Sort of," Steve said, shifting uncomfortably. "But trust me when I tell you that his reasons for starting the food fight are justified. Some might even call them honorable..."

"He told you why he started the food fight?" Katie asked in surprise. "And you're not going to tell me?"

"No, I'm not."

"Why?"

"Because I promised him that I wouldn't."

"You promised him?" Katie sputtered, the anger boiling up inside of her. "He's ten!"

"Katie..."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you when you tell me that he had a good reason for starting that fight?" she interrupted, so angry that she could barely see straight. "Why the hell would I do that? Why would I trust you?"

"Because I am telling you that..."

"You are telling me squat!" Katie shouted at him, not allowing him to finish. She didn't care that she was yelling this time…she was pissed. "You waltz in here and try to soften me up with coffee and donuts and then proceed to tell me that you know something about my son that I don't! And I'm just supposed to trust you? You? I don't even know you…the only things I know about you are what Malia has told me and what I read in your medical chart. That is not…"

"This isn't about whether or not you know me. Or trust me." Steve said quietly, knowing that the conversation was only going to continue to get more difficult. "This is about Matt. He needed a guy to talk to. He chose me, so I think..."

"You are low," Katie hissed at him suddenly, stopping Steve in his tracks. "I can't believe that you would use my ten year old son like this. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt because you were almost dead when they brought you in here and that is a lot for anyone to face. So, I tolerated you second guessing my medical decisions and I forgave you for bothering me and the nursing staff while you were trying to adjust to your recovery, but I will not sit here and let you criticize the way that I raise my son!"

Steve simply stared at her for a moment and tried to figure out where he had gone wrong this time. Obviously, he had hit too close to home with one of his comments and he never meant to do that. So, he tried to fix it by telling her quietly, "I would never do that. I would never criticize the way you are raising Matt."

Katie was not prepared for the gentleness in his eyes or the softness of his tone as he said those words, so she turned away and tried to get control of herself.

"Matt is an amazing kid," Steve continued softly, allowing her a few moments to compose herself. "He's smart and funny and friendly and compassionate and loyal...and he adores his mom. You did that. You raised him to be the amazing kid that he is. And I don't want to mess with that. I just want to help."

"Why?" she asked quietly, most of her voice catching in her throat.

"I don't know," the Commander answered honestly, "There's just something about him. He's trying to get through life under really unfair circumstances and for the most part, he is doing a remarkable job." Coming around the table to sit in the chair that was closer to her, he added softly, "But being ten is hard. And being ten without a dad around to talk to about things...like food fights and bullies on the football team...is even harder. But I've been there. I know what he's going through and I can help. If you'll let me."

"But why you?" Katie muttered, looking up at him.

Steve smirked and said, "I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess."

The two of them locked eyes and for a moment neither could breathe. Steve was trying very hard not to get lost in her emerald gaze when she broke the moment and sank her shoulders in defeat. Looking down at her hands, she asked, "Did he really have a good reason to start that fight? Was it because of that Joel what's-his-name?"

"I can't tell you that," Steve said again, but this time with a smile. "But, believe me...Joel what's-his-name had it coming."

Although, after getting a look at Matt's mom in her dress, Steve was now absolutely convinced that the kid was correct on all counts. But he was willing to tuck that thought away for another day since she probably wouldn't be too receptive to hearing it at the current moment.

"But..." Katie began, but stopped when she was unsure of what to say next.

"What?"

"It just..." she started again, picking up a piece of the donut again. But it was more so that she would have something to do with her hands than because she was hungry. Finally, she said, "He's all I've got. And he's been through so much already."

"You both have," he reminded her quietly.

"Yeah, but I'm the grown-up," Katie said with a sad smile, "I'm the mom. I'm supposed to be able to handle everything for him...protect him. Like I promised Jimmy that I would." She looked up at him as she said, "It's not that easy for me to admit that I can't be everything that he needs me to be."

"I won't tell anyone." Steve promised softly.

"I still don't know if I like this," Katie told him honestly. "I mean, you're not the most stable presence. Let's not forget that the only reason we know each other is because you took a bullet to the chest while doing your job. Being a cop is almost as bad as being a S.E.A.L. when it comes to the danger quotient. And that's fine for you, since you are obviously an adrenaline junkie. But Matt's got enough of those kind of men in his life…when my brothers are deployed we feel it just as much as their own wives and children. And Matt has attached himself to you pretty quickly…which scares me. Because if something else happens…he can't go through that again."

Steve remained silent as Katie sighed and said, "But you're right, he chose you...for whatever reason. And I guess I have to go along with that." Looking pointedly at him again, she warned, "But you have to promise me that if he tells you something that I need to know...something life altering...then you have to tell me. Because even though you're his friend, I'm his mother."

"You're the mom," Steve reassured her. "I promise."

Katie shook her head and admitted quietly, "I don't like not knowing things about my own kid."

"You know the stuff that's really important," he reminded her, "This was just one food fight."

"I still don't like not knowing," Katie repeated, looking up at him. "Was it about a girl? Because I don't think I'm ready for him and girls yet."

"I'm not going to tell you," Steve said with a shake of his head. "I promised him just like I am promising you."

"The loyalty of the S.E.A.L.s," she muttered and got a faraway look in her eyes before she admitted, "Well, I have to admire that, at least. Even if it is at my expense."

"Thank you."

"And speaking of the S.E.A.L.s," the brunette added quickly, before she lost her nerve, "there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Matt mentioned that."

"Of course he did," she said with a grimace, realizing that she was going to have to get used to this new relationship her son had with this virtual stranger. Taking another sip of her coffee, she began, "I only knew Jimmy for about 72 hours before we got married and then during the first year of our marriage we were living in separate cities while I finished up my final year of medical school. When I finally moved to Virginia to start my residency, he was constantly being called away on missions and he could never tell me where he was going or what he was doing while he was away…"

Steve nodded in understanding at her familiar description of the life of a S.E.A.L.s wife and waited for her to continue.

"I learned pretty quickly not to ask too many questions because I wasn't going to get an answer or I wasn't going to like the answer that I got," Katie said, looking up at him, "So I don't know that much about Jimmy's time with the S.E.A.L.s. I know general things, like some of the training he received and things that the other wives would share with me. But I don't know what it was like for him. Even the mission in Kosovo…it was so top secret and I didn't ask any questions because I really didn't want to know how he died. I figured that he was gone and knowing how it happened wasn't going to…"

Her voice trailed off and Steve caught a glimpse of some unshed tears sparkling on her lashes. He knew that she wouldn't let them fall, not in front of him. Katie Giordano was a strong, proud woman and she would not cry in front of a man she barely knew. It seemed natural for him to reach out and cover her unsteady hands with his own. And when he did, the connection was electric.

Katie felt the electricity from his touch shoot up her arm and she swore it ran straight into her heart. She drew in a sharp breath, glancing down at their hands as he wrapped his thumb around hers. The doctor couldn't believe how gentle his rough hands were and for some reason she didn't immediately pull away from the support that he offered. So they sat there, as the minutes ticked by, silently holding hands and remembering Jimmy "Brooklyn" Giordano.

When she had regained her composure, Katie slowly drew her hand back. Almost immediately she missed the warmth of his skin, but she shook those thoughts out of her head and continued their conversation as if nothing had passed between them.

"Like I said, I don't know too much about that part of Jimmy's life. And while that was a choice I made for myself and am content to live with…"

"Matt is asking about Jimmy's time with the S.E.A.L.s," Steve finished for her knowingly and watched as she nodded in confirmation of his statement. "And you'd like me to talk to him about being a S.E.A.L.?"

Katie nodded again and explained, "When my dad explained to him that the S.E.A.L.s are an elite group, he was so proud of his dad and he told all of his friends. But, he's got nothing to back that up because he doesn't know anything more than the fact that his dad was one. And I guess some kids were giving him a hard time about it…"

Steve silently guessed that it sounded like the handiwork of the infamous Joel Hyatt and he vowed to figure out how to put that kid in his place. Or at least teach Matt how to do it. Out loud, he said, "I think I've got a few G-rated stories about old 'Brooklyn' that I can pass on to the next generation."

The relief on her face was palpable and a stunning smile broke through as she asked, "Really? Because he is so proud of his dad and I don't want anything to ruin that for him."

"He should be proud of his dad," Steve reassured her, "Jimmy was an amazing guy."

_Who married an amazing girl who has raised an amazing kid_, he thought to himself.

"I mean, I know that there are things you can't tell him about what Jimmy and the team did," Katie said, sitting back in her chair and relaxing a bit, "But whatever you can say to make him feel like he has an understanding of why you guys are so important and what a big deal it was that Jimmy…"

"No problem," he assured her with a nod. Glancing up at the clock as he smirked at her, he remarked, "Do you realize that we haven't insulted one another once in the last fifteen minutes?"

"Wow," she said, also glancing up at the clock. "How did that happen?"

"I think it was the coffee," he said with a wink, "It works every time."

"I wouldn't go that far," she told him dryly.

"You are a hard nut to crack, Giordano," Steve said with a chuckle. But he could tell that he had gotten to her so he added, "But I'm going to have fun trying."

"Lucky me," Katie returned sarcastically, realizing that she liked this little give and take that had been established between the two of them.

"Can we at least say that this conversation was some sort of truce?"

"Deal," she said after she had considered his request. There was a bit of an awkward pause, so Katie started gathering up her paperwork and said, "Well, I guess I should get home to Matt. Of course, that is going to mean explaining to my mother why I am home only an hour after I left." Shaking her head at the situation, she muttered, "It took me longer that that to get dressed up. What a complete waste of time." As she headed to the door, Katie called to him, "So, Saturday at 1:00?"

When he nodded in response, she paused for a moment and then added, "Thank you…Steve."

Knowing that was the best he was going to get from her for the moment and deciding that it was enough, he smiled back at her and called, "Hey, Katie?"

When she paused at the door and looked back at him over her shoulder, the Commander informed her, "Putting on that dress? It was definitely not a complete waste of time. Not by a long shot."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hello friends...back again with another chapter! I just couldn't resist writing another action chapter even though I said that this wasn't going to be that sort of fic. But I had two purposes for doing this...1. It ties up Steve's shooting. and 2. You didn't really think that our beloved Steve could figure out his feelings for a woman unless life and death were involved, do you? HaHa! **_

_**For all of the Katie fans out there, I think you will find her to be a good match for Steve in this chapter. You know, the way Lori is supposed to be? **wink, wink** Sorry, I couldn't let that one go by...I am SO NOT a Lori fan. For those of you who aren't Katie fans...oh well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve – Stand Off<strong>

"_This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act, and in acting, to live."_

~General Omar Bradley

_Honolulu Medical Center, Friday morning…_

Exhausted, Detective Danny Williams walked into his partner's hospital room to find the Commander grimacing at his sister as she tried to help him button the shirt of his Naval uniform.

"What's wrong?"

Before Steve could answer, Mary grinned and said, "Dr. Giordano was just here."

"Oh yeah? How'd it go?" Danny asked with a smirk, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"I showed her who's boss," Steve informed his partner, trying not to wince at the irony that at that very moment his kid sister was buttoning up his shirt like he was a five year old.

Apparently, the irony was not lost on the New Jersey detective as he smiled and asked, "Who'd it turn out to be?"

"It's still unclear," the Commander stated with a grimace and a sigh. "What is clear is that she has granted me my walking papers…so we are going to blow this pop stand as soon as Malia can get up here with a wheelchair."

"A wheelchair?"

"It's hospital policy," Mary Ann informed Danny, still concentrating on how to get Steve's jacket on without jostling the left, surgically repaired side of his body. "Patients have to be escorted around the hospital by a staff member…even if those patients are headed out the front door."

"Even though I have been roaming around this hospital freely for the last few days," Steve grumbled, frowning at his sister as she was trying to drape his uniform jacket over his left shoulder, "If she had just released me last night like I suggested…"

"She was waiting for your last panel of blood work to come back," Mary reminded him.

"Are you siding with Dr. Giordano now?"

"Hey, there's no sides. All that matters is that you are healthy enough to go home," the youngest McGarrett told him, walking over to the closet to make sure that she hadn't missed packing any of his things, "But, yes. I am taking her side. She took very good care of you and you didn't always make it easy…or pleasant."

Steve made a grunting noise as Danny asked, "What is this? I thought you made peace with the good doctor? Didn't I hear something about you making a date with her kid?"

"What?" Mary asked, looking away from the closet at the two men.

"It's not a date," Steve explained, throwing an evil eyed look across the room at his partner, "She was married to an old buddy of mine from S.E.A.L. training. He died on a mission about ten years ago and she's been a single mom for most of her kid's life. I'm just going to help him learn how to toss a football. It's not a big deal."

"Actually, it's a very big deal," the young blond corrected, looking at her big brother seriously, "If you are thinking that the quickest way to this woman's heart is through her son, then you'd better know that this could seriously backfire on you. If you do anything to hurt that kid…"

"I am not looking for a way into her heart," Steve interrupted with a grimace, narrowing his eyes at his sister, "Matt is just a good kid who wants to play football. No one is going to get hurt."

"Famous last words," Mary Ann clucked, turning away from them and looking around the hospital room one more time.

It looked as if the argument was going to continue until Danny quickly piped up and told his partner, "Well, I have some news. Chin and Kono got something on Henry Okalani and are out arresting him as we speak."

"Is that the guy who shot you?" Mary Ann surmised, watching as her brother nod slowly. Unable to read his expression, she said, "So, case closed then. Chalk up another win for Five-0. Except for the whole incapacitated leader thing."

"Yeah, except for that," Steve shot back sarcastically.

"Hey…do you know who works here as a nurse?" Mary Ann asked and then without giving her brother a chance to answer she continued, "Kathy Kekoa." When he stared at her blankly, she explained, "We went to dance class together when I was like in third grade. Anyway, I told her that I'd meet her for coffee and…"

"Don't let me stop you from your pursuit of elementary school friendships," Steve told her as Mary Ann moved in to kiss his cheek. "Apparently I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"It'll take five minutes…ten tops," Mary called over her shoulder as she practically sprinted from his room and out toward the elevators, "I'll be right back!"

Steve and Danny simply shook their heads and looked like mirror images of each other before the Commander looked at his partner and asked, "You and the team working nights this week?"

"3 to 11 all this week," Danny nodded and then added, "But that bank heist on Bishop Street last night had us all clocked in until about 2 a.m."

"So you didn't get much sleep then," Steve surmised, noticing his friend's tired face. "And yet you're here this morning. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"You trying to get rid of me, McGarrett?"

"No, no…I like that you want to be here for every momentous occasion in my life. Like getting wheeled out to the car like an invalid," Steve quipped.

Danny started to shoot one of his classic one liners back at him but was halted by the shrill ring of his cell phone. Seeing Chin's name and number flashing at him, he held a hand up to his partner in a signal that it was an important call. Picking it up quickly, he answered, "What's up, Chin?"

"It's not Henry Okalani!"

Danny could hardly hear Detective Kelly and moved into the hallway where there was better phone reception as he asked, "What's going on?"

But Chin had obviously not heard Danny respond because he was still talking as if his team mate had heard the whole conversation, "…it's his brother, Michael, and he's in the hospital!"

"What?"

"Steve's shooter!" Chin, who sounded out of breath from running, shouted into the phone. "We were wrong pegging Henry Okalani…it's the brother, Michael. 6 foot 3, medium build, brown hair, he walks with a limp. Kono and I are two minutes away."

Putting the phone away, Danny instinctively stayed calm as he closed the door to his partner's hospital room and his eyes began to scan the hallway around him. Taking a few steps out onto the floor, all the detective could see were the usual hospital personnel… doctors, nurses, orderlies, lab technicians…all milling around and doing their various jobs. He briefly wondered if Steve would stay quietly in his room when his sharp eyes suddenly settled on someone who looked out of place in the busy hallway.

The 'orderly' was definitely taller than 6 feet with a medium build and he was wearing scrubs that looked about 2 sizes too big for him. His head was down as he pushed a food cart slowly along the corridor.

And he was walking with a limp.

The Honolulu police officers who had been part of Steve's security detail were still present outside of his room and catching a member of the team's eye, Danny discreetly signaled to the man he suspected of being Michael Okalani. The lead officer and another uniformed officer fell into step beside Danny as the two policemen stationed near the elevators began to close in from behind. Okalani looked up suddenly and when he saw the trio of law enforcement agents walking toward him and he knew he was made. But Danny was not in uniform, so it was a member of the Honolulu PD who slowly began to reach for his weapon and…

It was at that moment that Dr. Katie Giordano walked out of the doorway of the patient's room closest to where Okalani was standing.

The dark haired doctor was studying a chart and paying absolutely no attention to what was happening around her when the sweaty hand that clamped itself firmly over her mouth sent a jolt of shock through her system. Taken completely by surprise, she froze in terror for one horrifying instant before her instincts began to kick in. Although her attacker's other arm was wrapped tightly around her chest, effectively pinning both her arms against her body, Katie bucked wildly, kicking her legs, and moving her upper body as much as she could. Angry now, her still unseen attacker grabbed Katie by her ponytail. Her scream of pain was muffled by his large palm as he pulled the handful of hair…hard. Katie, mouth still open from her scream, did the only thing she could think to do. She bit down on the inside of his palm, and nearly choked when her teeth broke through flesh and her mouth was flooded with the metallic taste of blood.

Suddenly, Katie heard a familiar voice saying, "Let her go, Okalani. Don't make this situation any worse."

The doctor didn't move for a long moment as her eyes finally scanned her surroundings. Two Honolulu police officers and Detective Danny Williams had their guns pointed right at her and the man who was using her as a human shield. She couldn't hear anything except the pounding in her head and her accelerated heartbeat.

And Steve's voice in the background.

When she looked up, it was then that she saw him. He was in his Naval uniform and standing shoulder to shoulder with his partner and two other members of his ever present protective detail. Katie saw him try to mask the panic on his face and reality came flooding into her brain. She closed her eyes and concentrated all her energy on staying alive.

And then she heard the click.

Katie's eyes flew open and widened in realization and terror. And she felt a shiver run through her spine when the barrel of the gun dug into the back of her neck. Most people would have just closed their eyes and waited for it to finish, but Katie Giordano was not most people. She was a control freak and so her first reflex was to keep her eyes wide open and look around, assessing her surroundings to locate any device that could be used to fight back against her assaulter. In the corner of her eye, the young doctor acknowledged the mix of limbs covering the floor. All of the people who had been in the hospital corridor were now lying still and flat on their stomachs, not daring to raise their head or even move their hands.

"Everyone drop your weapons and slide them in my direction," the man said, eyeing the police officers in front of him and very aware of the ones closing in from behind. Speaking directly to them, he added loudly, "And if you take one step closer to me, the pretty little doctor will be the first casualty of the day."

After a minute of silence and a nod from Detective Williams, the officers who still had their guns raised in the air quietly placed them on the floor and kicked them in the man's direction, trying not to harm anyone in the process. Danny was one of the last to do so.

"You too, McGarrett," Okalani said to Steve, who had no weapon to surrender. "Oh yeah, I know exactly who you are. And who your daddy is. In fact, that's why I'm here."

"I am unarmed," Steve told the hostage taker, trying to casually count the number of hostages. The former S.E.A.L. surveyed that there were probably twelve persons lying in the hallway, not including the few nurses who were standing behind the nurse's station when it happened. Steve came back to reality when he heard Katie whimper in pain. If the man dug the Glock any deeper into the doctor's neck, it would undoubtedly cut her skin open.

Katie took a deep breath when she heard that Steve didn't have a gun. So that meant the only gun in the hallway was the one pressing into her neck. And she knew that this was it, the final stop on the train of life where all passengers must disembark. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just wrong. She knew the dangers of the world, but no one ever believed that they could end up on the receiving end of a bullet.

The last twenty seconds of her life. Some say your life flashes before your eyes, some say it doesn't. Katie suddenly realized that it didn't. As she looked around the chaotic scene, there were no images of her family flashing in front of her eyes…no warm and colorful memories of growing up in her large, crazy, military family as they traveled from one base to the next with each of her father's promotions. No visions of her wedding day or the day that her Matty was born. None of the things that had mattered most to her were replaying on the movie reel in her mind. Instead all she saw were doctors and nurses cowering in fear while unarmed cops watched carefully and helplessly as a psychopath used her body as a shield on his quest to get closer to his real target.

She glanced sideways and once again found Steve. Steve would have a plan. He always had a plan. He was former Navy S.E.A.L., right? Who came from a family of police officers. Having a plan had to be in his blood. And if it wasn't, he was one of the most highly trained soldiers in the Navy. But all Katie saw in his eyes at the moment was complete helplessness.

"Listen, I know you don't want to do this…" Steve began, locking eyes with the man who had tried to kill him and trying to calm the situation with negotiation instead of gunfire, "But we want to help you."

"Help me?"

"Five-0 and the Honolulu Police Department know you're here and they are surrounding the building as we speak. Any minute now this floor is going to be swarming with armed cops," the Commander informed him, finally daring to take a step forward. He needed to get closer to the couple, to take his chance at dragging Katie out of the hostage takers grasp. "You have an innocent hostage and you are taking aim at police officers, so you know how this is going to end. They will shoot first and ask questions later."

Okalani impulsively tightened his grip on Katie and she inhaled sharply as the gun dug into her flesh. Katie felt herself involuntarily shiver from fear. Her captor was not afraid to die. In fact, he was practically begging for it. He had walked onto a crowded hospital floor full of patients, doctors, nurses, and a Naval Commander's protection detail. His intent was not to walk out of here again…he was on a suicide mission. And he had dragged her into it.

"Let Dr. Giordano go…" Steve went on, slowly making his way closer to the pair. "This is not about the doctor or anyone else here. This is between you and me. So let's make it between you and me…man to man. If you hurt any of these innocent people, there will be no coming back. Not from this."

And while every other pair of eyes in the hallway were focused on Lt. Commander Steven J. McGarrett, Katie's eyes suddenly found his partner. Not Detective Williams…Officer Kalakaua. She had somehow quietly made her way into the hallway in the chaos without being seen and she was not looking at her boss either. Her eyes…and her weapon…were focused squarely on Michael Okalani.

So when her attacker slightly loosened his grip on her due to the momentary diversion Steve was creating, Katie tried a different tactic. She went limp. Abruptly. Suddenly. She just went slack, becoming dead weight in her captor's arms. And Okalani groaned in surprise at the sudden burden. Knowing that there were any number of small bones in the top of his foot that she could break, Katie closed her eyes and took the opportunity to stomp on the man's foot, hard, grinding the heel of her shoe into it, grimacing herself when she felt it scrape against bone. Michael Okalani howled in pain, instinctively letting go of Katie's chest. Using her newly freed arm, the petite doctor swung her elbow backwards and upwards until it connected with the center of Okalani's face with a deafening crack.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

A chorus of shouts and shots were heard in the crowded hallway as Katie felt the force of a large, heavy object hit her with surprising force and they both hit the hard floor. As the deafening sound of gunshots rang in the air above them, Katie blinked in shock when she felt her body painfully connect with the stone beneath her.

She wasn't dead.

Steve had lunged at her when the shooting began and pushed her down to the floor, protecting her from the hail of bullets being traded between Kono and her target. Soon the other officers on scene recovered their weapons and Michael Okalani slid down the hospital wall in a lifeless heap.

But the leader of Five-0's thoughts were only for Katie. He looked down and his left hand moved to brush a few stray locks of chestnut hair from her face, feathering gently over her skin. Her face was pale and marred and it pained him to see her looking so helpless. But she was here and alive and so beautiful.

And Steve knew, as he cradled the doctor in his protective embrace, that things between them were about to get a lot more complicated.


	13. Chapter 13

_**One step forward always seems to lead to one step back! Ah the course of true love never runs smoothly, does it? Haha! Enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen – Strong Enough to Be My Man<strong>

_"God, I feel like hell tonight, tears of rage I cannot fight. I'd be the last to help you understand, Are you strong enough to be my man? Nothing's true and nothing's right, so let me be alone tonight. Cause you can't change the way I am, Are you strong enough to be my man?"_

~ Sheryl Crow

_Honolulu Medical Center, a few hours later…_

Katie struggled to pull her sticky-with-blood hospital scrubs over her head, but the sodden cotton clung to her skin, its reluctance to leave her person lasting until the last fiber was torn from her body. She dropped the wadded fabric to the tiled floor where it landed with a soggy 'plop'. Leaving the scrubs where they had fallen, she pulled back the curtain of the hospital locker room shower where she intended to stand under the spray until her skin fell off. Stepping gingerly onto the soothing green, blue, and white tile, the surgeon all but collapsed into the huge shower, turning the water on as hot as her sensitive skin could stand it.

The scorching water hit her body mercilessly and she was thankful for it. It was damn near scalding, but she was past caring. She wanted it to burn. She wanted it to hurt.

Bracing her arms against the shower walls and locking her elbows, Katie allowed her head to drop forward on her neck and the steaming water seared down her naked back. Hissing through her teeth as her tender flesh was scorched by the heat, she reached for the shower gel and lathered 24 hours worth of sweat, grime, and someone else's blood from her body.

If only washing the last hour away were going to be so easy…

"…_if you take one step closer to me, the pretty little doctor will be the first casualty of the day."_

_"You have an innocent hostage and you are taking aim at police officers, so you know how this is going to end. They will shoot first and ask questions later."_

"_Let Dr. Giordano go."_

The first of her sobs felt like a release. All the ones after that felt like guilt and failure. But Katie couldn't seem to stop. At first she made no sound, but soon her weeping grew in intensity, until she started to shake, taking in great gasps of air.

_In the midst of her fear, Katie had locked eyes with Kono in an unspoken agreement that if she could get out of the way then the young police officer could take her shot and end the nightmare. But even knowing what was going to happen did nothing to prepare the surgeon for the moments that followed. The shots seemed to come out of nowhere, the spray of gunfire and spatter of blood. Everything was in chaos, the screams of her co-workers filling the hospital corridor as they desperately tried to save their own lives._

_Yelling. Screaming. Fear._

_Trying to catch her hitching breath, Katie had laid her face against Steve's muscular shoulder and tried to close her eyes to the visions of death that were in front of her. But she couldn't look away. It seemed to take Michael Okalani's body an eternity to fall...his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards toward the hallway floor, his eyes ghostly empty in death. She saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on the criminals' wasted face as his body finally hit the floor and his eyes closed for eternity._

_Blood - so much blood trickled out of his body and stained the hospital uniform that he wore. For the briefest of moments, she could actually smell the sickly sweet coppery tang mixed with the odor of smoking guns._

The young doctor thought of the look on Michael Okalani's face as he died in the hospital corridor. The nonchalance. The arrogance. The complete lack of remorse for shooting Steve and then coming back to finish the job…using her body as his human shield. Katie's heart constricted at the memory, then leapt in her throat. And suddenly something broke inside her. Her heart felt like it was going to rip out of her chest. Her world disappeared into a shroud of blackness as Katie helplessly slid down the tiled wall and settled on the shower floor. She wept with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them.

She had been so stupid…so reckless. The psychopath had a gun pointed at her and she had fought back against him without any thoughts for her own safety. She had injured him and didn't have a plan for her next move. He possibly would have killed her and not thought twice about it. She could have left her beloved Matty as an orphan who lost both of his parents to violence. If Steve hadn't shoved her out of harm's way and used his body as a shield to protect her…

She sat curled up under the stream of water for what seemed like hours, her bare back against the cold tile wall. She didn't care. She lay her head on her knees and shook slightly as she continued to cry. For the loss of innocence and the breaking of her own heart. The brunette stayed that way for several long, quiet minutes before she took a deep breath, collected herself, and stood up.

Turning off the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, Katie gingerly walked from the shower area toward her locker to pull out some clean undergarments and a new pair of scrubs. Hastily pulling them on, she moved over to the mirror and began to towel dry her chestnut locks.

"Get a grip, Mary Katherine," she told her reflection in the mirror, mimicking her father's unyielding tone. "No," she corrected sternly, "get a grip, Dr. Giordano. You didn't die today, so let's stop worrying about what could have been."

She decided against pulling her wet waves back into a ponytail, knowing that they would dry faster if she let them hang loose. So after running a comb through her tangles, she set out for the lounge area of the locker room and pulled out the stack of patient files that she had retrieved from her desk on her way upstairs. It was quiet in the hospital that afternoon and most people who were buzzing about were down on the fourth floor trying to get a peek at the crime scene. Well, she had already seen it…up close and personal. Let them gawk at it. She had seen enough. Too much.

And she had paperwork to do anyway.

Newly determined, Katie settled herself down at one of the tables in the middle of the room and then moved over to the counter to start brewing a pot of coffee. Maybe a good jolt of caffeine would revive her and give her the energy to do what she needed to do to get through the rest of her shift. Measuring out the coffee and straightening up, Katie heard the lounge door behind her being opened. She looked up and her breath caught when she saw Steve walk in quietly. Part of her wanted to run at him and throw herself in his arms, to let him soothe everything that had happened earlier away.

But the stubborn, professional side of her overruled her deepest feminine instincts and she ended up snapping at him instead.

"You really shouldn't be in here, you know," Katie turned her back on him so she could be sure that her red, puffy eyes had a few more minutes to return to normal. Pretending that she was busying herself in one of the cabinets she added, "Doctors only."

In all honesty, that was almost the exact reaction that Steve had been expecting from her. She had been to hell and back that morning, but he knew she wasn't going to let it show. When she had disappeared after they were separated for questioning by the Honolulu police, Steve figured that she had gone somewhere to hide and get her raging emotions in check. Malia had told him that the 8th floor doctors lounge was much less populated than the one up on 12th floor, so he should probably start there.

Thank God for Malia.

Keeping his tone light, he asked, "Are you going to tell on me?"

She hesitated for a moment, but then relented and answered, "No."

"What are you doing?"

Turning to gesture toward the stack of files on the table near where he was standing, Katie replied in a haughty tone, "Paperwork."

"Really?"

Figuring that her eyes were as normal as they were going to get, she turned and heaved a big sigh as she informed him, "I handle stress in two very distinct ways…I cook or I work. As you can see, this lounge is not equipped with a stove or some ovens, so I am choosing to work. This is what I do when things are out of my control."

It made sense to him, so he asked, "Want some company?"

"If I wanted some company I wouldn't be hiding up here, would I?" Katie snapped at him and regretted the words the moment that they were out of her mouth. She knew that he was worried about her, but she didn't know how to handle that. Not yet. So instead she avoided the whole thing by asking, "Don't you have something you should be doing right now?"

"I already gave my statement…but things are a little crazy downstairs." He shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the table without waiting for her invitation as he added, "I'm sure Danny and Kono and Chin can handle things from here. Plus, I'd rather be up here with you than answering their questions."

"Thanks," Katie replied snidely, "But since I have already had my turn at answering their questions, you should know that I know that's not a compliment..."

Sensing that she was about to throw him out, he interrupted, "I promise not to make a sound. You won't even know that I am here."

The look that the surgeon sent in his direction told him that she highly doubted that, but instead of fighting with him, she simply walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water. Returning to the table, she shoved one in his direction as she said, "Fine. Whatever."

Accepting the water, he watched her settle herself into the chair across from him and pick up the first file from her stack. It was then that he saw the bandage on her neck…exactly where the barrel of Okalani's gun had been only hours before. He took a swig of his water to settle his sudden fit of anger and then asked, "How's your neck?"

"Fine."

"I see someone bandaged it up…"

"Malia."

"Did it break the skin?"

"No."

He knew she was giving him one word answers to avoid talking to him at all, but he was not dissuaded. Continuing, Steve said, "Well that's good. You probably won't have a scar..."

"Thank you for the diagnosis, Dr. McGarrett."

Ah, seven words that time. They were accompanied by the icy glare she sent in his direction, but at least he was making progress.

"Can I get you an ice pack or something? In my family, we always used a bag of frozen peas. Although frozen corn will do in a pinch if you don't have…"

As Steve was getting up to check the freezer for an ice pack, he managed to bump into the wooden table. The files Katie was going to work on were stacked pretty close to the edge and as soon as the table shook, they toppled over onto the floor.

"Damn it, McGarrett!" she swore, dropping her pen in surprise and jumping up from her chair. They both dropped down to their knees at the same time and tried to pick up the mess he had created.

"I'm sorry," he said, gathering up the papers and shoving them back into the file folders. "I didn't mean to…"

"You said I wouldn't even notice you were here," Katie angrily interrupted his apology and then added, "Just so you know, I can tell."

He cracked a smile at her unintentional joke, but when he looked up at her he noticed that there were tears shining in her eyes. And they were threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

Damn.

He stopped helping her pick up the files and asked quickly, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Because it's okay if you're not…"

"I told you that I am fine!"

"Katie…"

And then it was like something inside of her broke. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She stood up to face him and cried, "No, I am not okay. Look at my hands, Steve. They're shaking….my hands don't shake. I am a surgeon. I have very steady hands."

Steve covered the short distance between them in less than less than two strides. He took her cold hands in his and realized that they were indeed shaking. Quietly, he maneuvered the two of them over to the couch so that they could sit down. They sat in silence for a few moments, simply holding hands. When Katie had composed herself enough to speak, she told him, "I have removed bullets from countless victims. I have seen people with their entire faces shot off, huge holes in their body parts and internal organs …but until today, I had never been there at the time when the gun went off." Looking up at him, she added, "And I gotta tell you, I didn't like it."

"Nobody does."

Suddenly thinking about the other woman who was there when the shot was fired, Katie asked quietly, "How's Kono?"

Surprised for her sudden concern for Officer Kalakaua, he smiled and reassured her, "She's fine. Kono's a pro…she's used to things like this."

"Killing a man is a hell of a thing to have to get used to," the surgeon mused aloud, thinking about Chin's young cousin and what she must be feeling at that moment. Needing to talk, Katie said softly, "I am not this person, Steve. I am not the girl who hides in an empty room…"

"I never thought you were."

"I am not a victim."

He squeezed her hands in a gesture of comfort and told her, "You were very brave."

"No I wasn't," Katie quickly replied, shaking her head and pulling her hands away from his as she got up from the couch. She began to pace around the room as she told him, "I was stupid. He had a gun pointed at my head. His finger was on the trigger. He could have had a reflex reaction when I hit him and…"

"He didn't." Steve wasn't sure if he should follow his impulse to stand up and put his arms around her or to stay where he was. Since she continued to walk about aimlessly, he stayed on the couch and said in what he hoped sounded like a soothing voice, "Don't go there. Don't do the 'what if' thing. You're alive. You're shaken, but you are alive."

His words seemed to soothe her even though she didn't seem to be listening to him. But she did stop pacing around. Stopping at the counter by the sink, she steadied herself with her hand and admitted quietly, "They say that your life flashes before your eyes when you think you're gonna die. But that's not what happened to me. I didn't see life…I saw death. I saw Jimmy and I wondered if that was how he felt before he died… "

Her eyes refilled with tears as she mentioned the name of her late husband. But these tears didn't spill over onto her cheeks. Choking back a sob, she fought to keep the tears at bay. She would not let him see her cry. No one had ever seen her cry.

"Before my great-grandmother died, we were all gathered at the hospital. She barely knew her own name anymore, but she had this one moment of clarity before she passed. She told my grandpa that she saw her husband…my great grandfather…and she was ready to go," Katie explained, lost in the memory. The tears sparkled on her eyelashes, but she refused to let them fall as she told him, "My papa had died years before that, but my mom told me that it's an old belief that the souls of our departed loved ones come back when we die and escort us to Heaven." She had kept her composure as long as she could and her voice broke when she admitted, "When I saw Jimmy…I thought I was going to die. I knew it. And I thought about Matty and how unfair it would be for him to lose both of his parents. And then I couldn't remember if I told him that I loved him before I left for work this morning. I've been so angry with him lately because of this stupid food fight and him confiding in you instead of me…."

The rest of her words were lost in a sea of tears. And if Steven John McGarrett had a weakness, it was the tears of a woman. They were the one thing in this world that never failed to pierce his armor and find him where he truly lived, where he truly felt. So, without thinking, he stood up and moved closer to Katie and put one arm around her, then used the other to tilt her chin up to look at him. What surprised him more than his actions, though, was when she did not pull away.

"You are going to be okay, Katie," he told her in a hoarse voice that didn't sound at all like his own. "You didn't die today. The worst that was going to happen has happened and you survived it."

She shook her head as the tears began flowing like a waterfall down her cheeks. But for some reason, Katie didn't care if he saw them as she whispered, "Because of you."

"No," he corrected, smoothing her hair back from her beautifully sad face, "Because of you. You had the presence of mind to keep control of your faculties. You saw Kono standing there and took the opportunity to get away from Okalani and gave her an open shot. Okay?"

He pulled back as she nodded and lifted her chin to face him again. Katie tried to look away but it was impossible and she suddenly found herself drowning in the depths of his blue eyes that seemed to be searching hers, which, she thought with a terrible jolt, probably looked horrible and blood shot.

"Katie," he whispered softly but firmly, "we may not have taken Michael Okalani down if it hadn't been for you. If Kono thought for a single second that she would hit you, she wouldn't have taken that shot. That's what Okalani was counting on. But you took yourself out of the equation and changed everything."

Suddenly Katie's eyes were filled to the brim with tears again, but she didn't try to stop them this time. So Steve tenderly took her face in his hands and wiped away the tears with his thumbs. Her tears had an effect on him he could not understand, whether either of them could accept it or not. And before he knew what was happening he was moving closer, feeling her warm breath on his cheek.

Katie silently began to panic as Steve leaned towards her. The afternoon sunlight glinted in through the window and flitted across his face as he moved forward, through his hair, illuminating his eyes...

Every muscle in Katie's body tensed, like an animal ready to bolt, but before she could decide between fight or flight, it was too late. Steve was there, pressing his soft lips firmly against hers and all thoughts disappeared from her mind. If she had been thinking rationally she never would have allowed it. But she wasn't thinking...about anything.

Steve's mouth brushed slowly over hers before settling with gentle pressure and Katie moved against his unyielding weight until she found some perfect, unexpected alignment that sent heat jolting through her. He shifted slightly and the change allowed him to deepen the kiss. Her nose pressed into his warm cheek as his mouth moved over hers. One of his hands suddenly tangled in her hair as he claimed her lips, exploring her mouth with a passion. His other hand slid down to circle her waist and pull her closer. Her knees gave out, but it didn't matter because his strong arms were holding her so securely. The kiss was like a desert thunder storm…deep and strong, intense and impressive, brief but vital, life-giving and as basic as it is possible to be.

Through her fog-hazed brain, Katie came to the realization that Commander McGarrett was a man of very many talents.

Every time Katie tried to end the kiss, he pressed harder, coaxing her lips to stay open for him as he continued tasting her slowly. He kissed her until the sensations flowed in directions Katie wasn't ready to go. Steve was in control, infinitely stronger, and he wanted her to know it.

Katie knew what was happening between them had probably been inevitable at some stage. If it hadn't happened here, it would have happened somewhere else. And she had needed him…he had found her when she was at her most vulnerable. And, unlike all of the other men in her life, he hadn't demanded that she be strong and put on a brave face. No, Steve McGarrett had allowed her to be weak. He held her up until she was ready to stand on her own again. He had allowed her to feel his strong arms around her, to taste his lips. It was a moment of weakness that she would carry as a precious memory. An indulgence of a forbidden fruit.

He finally pulled away but his face was still terribly close, and Katie could feel the warmth of his breath as it brushed across her face. Their breath mingled together as they tried to calm down and the doctor realized that she was trembling. But this time it wasn't from fear. As she felt a desperate ache cambering low in her body, Katie suddenly understood that if she gave in to this man, he would take all of her. Everything. And all of the defenses she had built up over the years would be destroyed.

Finally able to push herself away, Katie looked up at him and her voice was hoarse as she said, "That shouldn't have happened."

"I've wanted to do that since the first moment I saw you in the street outside the school," he pulled her close again and tightened his arms around her so that she couldn't get away again. He bent over her until his mouth was close to her ear and gently whispered, "You did, too."

"I didn't. I don't," she protested, feeling her knees weaken again at the feel of his warm, moist breath in her ear. "This is so unprofessional."

"As of this morning, I'm not your patient anymore," he reminded her and then added, "You need a little fun in your life, Dr. G."

Katie let out an incredulous laugh as she sputtered, "I do not! Believe me, you have no idea what I need…"

She broke off with a gasp as he pressed his hips closer to hers. The feel of him was more than her dazzled senses could handle. To her own mortification, she hitched up against him before she could stop herself…heat and instinct winning out over sanity.

Feeling her reflexive response, Steve smiled into her flushed cheek as he teased, "You should take me on. I'd be good for you."

It was if something inside of her started to unravel with those words and her body tightened up against it. She closed her eyes and somehow managed to twist away from him. This time, she moved a few steps backwards so that she could place more distance between them.

"You would not be good for me," she told him, steely eyed, "And today proved it. That man came here to kill you. And he almost got me instead. I know what it's like to fall for a man like you…a thrill seeker. I did it once before and look how that turned out. I can't be that reckless again. I have a son who needs me." Pointing to the door with a trembling finger, she whispered, "Go."

Steve looked sexy as hell, all rumpled and aroused, so the confusion on his face was almost comical as he asked, "You're kicking me out? But there's more we need to talk about…a lot more."

She tilted her head toward the door, her emotions raging inside of her. _Why was he making this so difficult?_ Quietly, she pleaded, "Please go."

"Are we still on for tomorrow?"

_Tomorrow?_ Damn it, he was coming over to play football with Matty. Her first instinct was to cancel, but her child would be heartbroken and she couldn't do that to him. Straightening up, she said, "You and Matty are still on for tomorrow. I won't be…"

"Damn it, Katie," Steve cursed, incensed by her sudden attitude change, "You can put it off for now, but we still have to deal with this eventually."

Her silence was her answer, so he gave her a smoldering glance and finally left the room. Closing the door behind him, Katie slumped against it and willed her feeble legs to hold her up for a little while longer.

Why the hell did things always have to be so complicated?


	14. Chapter 14

_**Sometimes, you just need your mom...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen – Always Listen to Your Mother<strong>

_"To nourish children and raise them against odds is any time, any place, more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons."_

~ Marilyn French

_The Giordano home, later that evening…_

"Mom, Matty…I'm home!"

Katie walked into the sunny yellow kitchen of the home she shared with her son and shut the door behind her by giving it a swift kick with one of her heels. She moved over to the counter to set down the bags of groceries she had acquired on her way home from the hospital and then shrugged off her jacket and threw it over the back of the nearby sofa. After the day she had just experienced, the only thing the surgeon wanted to do was come home and disengage. She had run the gamut of emotions since leaving her cozy kitchen that morning and was so relieved to see that things were still so…normal. Everything was the way she had left it and it was amazing how something so simple brought her such a feeling of comfort.

"How was your day, darling?"

Katie's mother, Ava James, breezed into the kitchen through the french doors from the patio and came around the counter to give her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, mom," Katie said as she kicked off her heels, "How's my little prisoner?"

"He's fine. Right now he's upstairs doing his homework," Ava reported dutifully and then chuckled as she added, "I brought him some bread and water a little while ago, so he should be good for the next twenty four hours."

"Funny," her daughter replied with a smirk.

Scrutinizing her child's face, which bore a great deal of similarity to her own, Ava ran a well manicured finger over Katie's cheek and stated, "You look tired. Bad day?"

"Very bad."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Katie admitted, "I want to cook."

Recognizing her daughter's familiar reaction to extreme stress, Ava simply nodded and began to help her unpack the ingredients for Jimmy's mother's famous spaghetti sauce. Opening up the wine fridge, she asked, "Red or white?"

Smiling at her mom, Katie replied, "Surprise me."

Taking two wine glasses down from the cabinet, Ava scooted her daughter out of the way and said, "You go upstairs and change, then go kiss your adorable child and tell him that you love him. I'll get things started down here."

"I love you, mom," the surgeon replied gratefully and headed upstairs to follow her mother's suggestions. After stopping in to check on Matt, who was indeed doing his homework, she continued down the hall and into her own bedroom so that she could shed her work clothes and change into her favorite home uniform…cut off shorts, a tank top, and flip flops.

Returning to the first floor of her house, Katie smiled again when she saw her mother hard at work in her kitchen chopping onions and garlic. Two glassed of red wine sat on the counter in front of her and the soft, soothing sounds of Adele filled the room. Joining her mother at the counter, Katie took a long sip of her wine and then fell into the steady rhythm of preparing a big pot of sauce for spaghetti and meatballs. Neither woman had to say a word and for that Katie was thankful. She could always depend on her mom.

Cooking was her favorite brand of therapy after a long day at work…there was something so soothing about the process of transforming raw, solitary ingredients into a savory amalgamation of flavor, smell, taste, texture, and color. Plus, cooking took a certain amount of concentration and it was hard to think about madmen wielding guns or the sexy Steve McGarrett and his delicious kisses when the aromas of oregano, basil, garlic, sautéed onions, and browning sausage began to waft through the house.

Once all of the ingredients for the sauce were combined, Katie turned the burner down to low so that it could simmer for about an hour. After refilling her wine glass, Ava looked at her daughter and said, "I'm going to go call your father and tell him to come over for dinner in about an hour, okay?"

"Sounds good," Katie replied as she heard the familiar rumbling of her sons' feet as he tramped down the stairs.

"And then we'll talk?" Ava asked, looking at her knowingly.

"Sure…"

"What's for dinner, mom?"

The mother/daughter portion of the conversation was put on hold as Matt bounded into the room. Katie watched as he exchanged a look with his grandmother and she instantly knew that _**her**_ mother had encouraged her son to talk to _**his **_mother. Shaking her head as Ava suddenly made herself scarce, she replied with a smile, "Spaghetti and meatballs. With garlic bread and salad."

"With Nonna Giordano's secret sauce?" Matt asked, nodding over to the big metal pot simmering on the stove.

"Can't you smell it?"

"Yum," the youngster said, licking his lips as he climbed up onto a stool across the counter from where Katie was mixing up the meatball mixture. "I love spaghetti and meatballs."

"I know." his mother said with another smile. "Did you finish your homework?"

Matt nodded as he reached across the counter and grabbed a carrot that Ava had left out to cut up for the salad. "You just have to check my math."

"Did you study for your president's test?"

"Mr. Byrnes postponed it until next week," he informed her, munching on the carrot. "We spent a lot of time talking about President Kennedy and we didn't finish the rest of the presidents. I guess President Kennedy was Mr. Byrnes' favorite."

"He was a lot of people's favorite president," Katie told him. "Your grandpa met John Kennedy once when he was in high school. You should ask him about it sometime."

"Cool," Matt said enthusiastically. "Did Grandpa work for him when he was in the marines?"

Katie chuckled and said, "I think JFK's presidency was a little before your grandpa's time." Changing the subject, she asked, "Do you want to help me with the meatballs?"

"Sure."

"Here," Katie instructed, pushing the bowl of meat mixture across the counter to him, "you roll these into balls and I'll heat up the oil. Don't make them too big."

"I know!" Matt answered in his best know it all voice.

Katie shook her head as she turned toward the stove and poured some oil into a fry pan. Turning back to Matt, who was completely engrossed in rolling a perfect ball of meat, she said quietly, "So, I was talking with Commander McGarrett the other day…."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered, watching him closely. Matt didn't say anything else as he continued to roll the meatballs, so Katie went on, "He thinks that I should let you off grounding so that he can teach you to throw a football."

"Really?" Matt asked, still concentrating on his meatballs.

"Really," Katie answered. She could tell that he was trying to hide his excitement and she bit her lip to keep from grinning. She decided to play his game and turned back around to check on the temperature of the oil in the frying pan, not saying another word.

Finally, unable to help himself, Matt said, "Commander McGarrett's a smart guy. You should listen to him."

Shaking her head, the surgeon turned back around to look at her son and said, "Don't play coy with me, little man. I know you talked to him about the food fight the other day."

"What did he say?" Matt asked in alarm, looking up at her with a worried expression.

"Don't worry," Katie assured him. "He didn't tell me any of the secrets that you shared with him."

Katie watched the relief wash over him at her words as she took the meatballs that he had already rolled and began placing them in the hot oil. When she turned back around to look at him, she said, "But he did tell me that you had a very good reason for starting that food fight." Matt continued to stay silent as his mother added, "And that you can't tell me the reason."

"Mom..." Matt started to say, but then stopped. He looked up at her and then simply said, "I just can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything, Matty."

"Not this," Matt assured her, shaking his head. "I can't tell you this. I would if I could...but I can't. I just can't." He looked up at her with worried eyes and asked, "Is that okay?"

_No,_ she screamed silently in her head. _It's not okay. You are my baby and I want to know everything that happens to you. I want to be able to protect you from the things you are too scared to tell me and I want to be able to make everything alright again. That's my job._

But out loud, she said...

"Sure, it's okay."

But Matthew James Giordano was a ten year old who was older and wiser than his years. And he knew his mother better than anyone.

"Are you mad that I talked to Commander Steve?"

"No," Katie lied with a forced smile on her face, "I'm glad that you had someone to talk to."

"Really?"

"No, not really," Katie admitted. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him with gentle eyes and said, "But I do understand that you are getting to an age where you need to talk about 'guy stuff' and that's not always easy to do with your mom. So I am going to try to be okay with you talking to Commander McGarrett...as long as you remember that I will always love you and that I am always here for you. And nothing that you tell me is ever going to change that."

"Okay." Matt said, looking up at her. "And just because I'm talking to him doesn't mean that I don't love you anymore. Some things are just...easier...to say to him."

"Are you afraid that I will get mad at you?" Katie asked, watching him closely.

"No," he answered, rolling another meatball. "It's just..." he looked up at her and shrugged, "I don't know. I can't explain it."

Katie watched him for another minute before she finally said, "Okay, then I won't make you explain it. But if you are in any kind of trouble, then I want you to make sure you tell me..."

"I will," Matt assured her and then looking up at her hopefully, he asked, "Am I still grounded?"

Katie smiled at him and said, "Until tomorrow at 1:00."

"What's happening tomorrow at 1:00?"

"Commander McGarrett is coming over to teach you how to throw the football."

A huge smile came over Matt's face as he said, "Thanks, mom!"

Katie smiled back and took the remaining meatballs from him as she said, "But no more food fights. And no more solving your problems by throwing mashed potatoes or hitting people. Promise?"

"I promise."

"And if you are having problems at school that you need to talk about..." Katie said automatically and then stopped herself. Thinking for a minute, she finished, "...then I want you to find someone to talk about it with. Me, Aunt Malia, grandma or grandpa...someone."

"What about Commander Steve?" Matt suggested.

"You barely know the commander," Katie told him, resisting the urge to wrinkle up her face at his suggestion and wishing she could talk him out of this new friendship.

"Why don't you like him?"

Katie was busy transferring the meatballs from the frying pan into the pot of sauce to finish cooking, so she didn't answer right away. When she was finished, she turned to look at him and said, "It's not that I don't like him..."

"But he's nice to me."

"Yes, he is," Katie said with a smile, putting the new batch of meatballs into the frying pan. "And I'm very happy about that."

"Is he mean to you?" Matt asked, moving to the sink to wash the meatball mixture off of his hands. "Because if he is, then I won't talk to him anymore."

"He's not mean to me," Katie assured him. _At all_, she continued silently as the memory of his hot kisses suddenly made her lips tingle.

"Then how come you were mean to him?"

"When was I mean to him?"

"In the pantry the other day," Matt reminded her.

"I wasn't really mean to him," Katie said in surprise, looking down at her son. "Was I?"

"Kind of," Matt informed her.

"Well, I'll try not to be mean to him when he comes over tomorrow." she promised, thinking that it would probably be easier for everyone if they avoided each other all together. "Since he is your friend."

"Thanks."

Matt finished washing his hands and then watched as his mother filled up a pot of water for the spaghetti. As she added salt to the water and turned on the burner, he said, "He could be your friend, too."

"Who?" Katie asked, distracted by the spaghetti pot.

"Commander Steve," Matt reminded her. "He's a good friend."

"I already have good friends," she told her son, "I don't need anymore."

"Well, then he can be your boyfriend," Matt responded. "You don't have one of those."

Katie put the lid on the pot of pasta water and looked down at Matt as she asked, "Now why would you say something like that?"

"Don't you want a boyfriend?" he asked innocently.

"I haven't really thought about it," his mother told him, moving over to the oven to set the broiler to toast the garlic breat. Then looking down at him, she asked, "Would that be weird for you? If I had a boyfriend?"

"No," Matt told her honestly. "I think I'd like it."

"Why?"

"Because it would make you happy," he said nonchalantly. "Aunt Malia is happy with Chin and grandma is happy with grandpa, so maybe a boyfriend would make you happy, too."

"I'm not unhappy, Matty," Katie told him gently, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I know," he replied with a shrug. "But boyfriends take you out to dinner and the movies and to parties where you get all dressed up. Don't you like doing that stuff?"

"I can do all that stuff with my friends," she told him, looking at him curiously as she took some vegetables out of the refrigerator for a salad. "And with you." Setting the salad ingredients on the counter, she asked, "Where is all this coming from?"

Matt shrugged and said, "I don't know. But I know Commander Steve doesn't have a girlfriend and you don't have a boyfriend. So maybe you should be boyfriend and girlfriend together."

"It doesn't work that way, sweetie," Katie told him with a smile. "You don't become someone's girlfriend just because they don't have one. You have to like each other and have things in common."

"You and Commander Steve's both save people for a living," he reminded her. "You have that in common."

"Commander McGarrett is not going to be my boyfriend...case closed," she told him, taking out a knife to cut up the vegetables. "Now drop it."

Matt shrugged and grabbed another carrot off the counter as he climbed back up onto the stool to watch her chop vegetables. After a while, he asked, "Did you know that Commander Steve was a quarterback?"

"You told me," Katie said with a smile.

"He almost played for the Gators." Matt added, clearly impressed.

"Impressive," she drawled, peeling the outer skin off a cucumber. "What else did the two of you talk about?"

"The S.E.A.L.s." Matt replied, chomping down on his carrot. "That's when he asked about dad. He said he went through training with dad. So, he kinda knew him before you did."

"I suppose he did," Katie said carefully, knowing that they were getting into unchartered territory. "Is that why you talked to him about your dad?"

"Yeah." he replied, looking down at the counter. "I didn't have to tell him...I mean, he already knew how dad died because S.E.A.L.s know things like that about each other." Matt shrugged and continued, "And he was being nice to me."

"That was really nice of him," the surgeon said, realizing that she meant it. "Is that why you told him about the food fight?"

"Yeah." Matt admitted. "It just kind of came out, too. We were talking about football and he told me that if I told you about the food fight then he might be able to teach me how to throw the football. But then I told him that I couldn't tell you and he asked me to tell him instead so that he could talk to you about it."

"So, he tried to get you to tell me about the food fight?" Katie asked, a little surprised by that bit of information.

"Yeah," Matt said again. "He said you might be cooler about it than I thought, but I told him that I couldn't tell you. That's when he offered to talk to you for me."

Katie nodded and went back to chopping her salad ingredients, wondering just exactly how she always seemed to get things so wrong when it came to Steve McGarrett. Before she could think anymore about it, Matt asked suddenly, "Are you still sad about dad? Is that why you don't have a boyfriend?"

"Are we back to that?" Katie asked him dismissively.

But Matt was not easily dismissed as he said, "Yes. So, is that why?"

"Is what why?"

"Do you still miss dad?"

Katie moved over to the stove to stir the sauce and when she came back to the counter, she admitted quietly, "I'm always going to miss your dad, Matty. I loved him very much. And in some ways, I will always love him. But I knew what your dad did for a living when I married him and so I always knew that there might come a day when he wouldn't come home. I've made my peace with that." Looking over at him and clearing the emotion out of her throat, she changed the subject by saying, "Why don't you go outside and wait for grandpa to get here?"

"Okay," Matt mumbled as he got off his stool and headed out into the Hawaiian sunshine.

It only took a few moments for her mother to return to the kitchen. Without saying a word, Ava rounded the kitchen counter and kissed her daughter on the cheek. Smiling sadly, she said quietly, "You handled that like a pro, my darling. And I really only have one question for you…"

"Yes?"

"Who is Commander Steve McGarrett?" she asked sly, knowing her daughter much too well.

"He was a patient…the gunshot victim from a couple of weeks ago," Katie told her nonchalantly, taking out a sharp knife so that she could cut the Italian bread in half. But Ava James had been Mary Katherine James Giordano's mother long enough to know when she wasn't getting the entire story. Giving her 'the look', Ava raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow at her daughter and Katie knew that this conversation was far from over. Sighing, the surgeon took a sip of her wine and said, "He was a S.E.A.L. who went through training with Jimmy and he has taken a liking to Matt. They struck up this friendship that I don't really understand and Matty ended up telling him about the food fight…"

"Good."

"Good?" Katie repeated, but didn't give her mother a chance to answer as she added, "And now he is coming over here to teach him how to throw a football tomorrow. Can you believe that?"

"I think it's great," Ava said with a smile, knowing there was more to the story and she just had to be patient.

"It's not great," the brunette mumbled, "It's weird."

"It's not weird," her mother corrected, taking a sip of her own wine, "Matt is a very easy kid to like, and it will be good for him to have another positive male role model around. Especially one who knew Jimmy and can throw a football." Thinking for a moment, she asked, "Wait a minute…McGarrett? Did he used to play for Kukui High School?" When Katie shrugged and looked at her mother strangely, she continued, "I think he did…I think he played against your brothers. Damn, he was good…they could never beat that team. And if I remember correctly, he was a good looking kid." Slyly glancing at her daughter, Ava asked, "Did he grow up to be a good looking man?"

"Mom…"

"What?" Ava asked innocently, taking out some cloves of garlic to chop for the garlic bread. "It's just a question…"

"It is not _'just a question'_, mother," Katie interrupted with a frown, taking out some butter and putting it into the microwave to soften, "And I don't want to talk about it."

"Then I am going to take that as a big fat _'yes'_," Ava concluded with a wink. When her daughter sent an icy glare in her direction, she laughed it off and then said, "So why does your son's friendship with a good looking former S.E.A.L. bother you so much?"

"Because Steve McGarrett is a stranger to him and their conversations couldn't have lasted more than ten minutes. But in that ten minutes, Matty talked about Jimmy and confided something to him that he won't tell me." She paused, looked around the table, and then asked, "Do you think it was because Steve is a man?"

"I'm not following," her mother said, her forehead creasing in concern.

"Well, it's no secret that I haven't had a real relationship in a long time," Katie reminded her mother, who was about to say something before Katie continued quickly, "Do you think he's so desperate for a male role model that he'll reach out to the first guy that pays a little bit of attention to him?"

Ava opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again as her brain caught up to her vocal chords. The silence coming from the other side of the kitchen told Katie that her theory wasn't exactly without merit.

"That's what I was afraid of..." Katie breathed, slumping her shoulders a bit. "I mean, I've always assumed that dad was enough for him...but maybe I was wrong."

"Well, it's not like he hasn't had any other male role models," Ava reasoned, trying to make her child feel better, "I mean, your brothers have played important roles in Matt's life."

"I know," the doctor admitted and then added, "But the guys all live far away and are only around at the holidays. Plus, they have their own kids so technically they belong to someone else, you know."

"I don't think Matt has missed out on anything, darling," her mother told her gently. "You are such a stable presence in his life and that's more than a lot of kids have."

"Are you saying that because it is true?" Katie asked, looking at her mother seriously. "Or are you saying that because you used to change my diapers?"

"Where is all this nonsense coming from, Mary Katherine?" Ava asked, studying Katie as if she had never seen her before, "Matt is a great kid. You've made excellent choices where he's concerned..."

"That's just it," Katie interrupted, trying to translate her jumbled feelings into words that made sense to her mother, "They've been my choices. *I* decided to marry a Navy S.E.A.L. knowing full well that something could happen to him, *I* decided to stay in Virginia after Jimmy died to finish my residency, *I* decided that we had been away from family long enough and that we needed to come back to Hawaii. I told myself that I was doing those things with Matty's best interests at heart, but actually it's been all about me," she absentmindedly began to mix the softened butter with the garlic her mother had chopped as she continued, "And worst of all...I've been running away from relationships my entire life. Ever since Jimmy died, I am so gun shy about love. And while that has protected my heart, it has deprived Matt of having a stable male influence in his life."

"Where are we going with this, sweetheart?" Ava asked with a concerned frown, "It's not like you were trying to keep men out of Matty's life on purpose. In fact, after that man you dated a few years ago, you have been very careful about not letting Matt get too attached to another guy because it was so hard on him when the two of you split up."

"That's what I'm talking about. What if I had married Nicholas all those years ago?" Katie asked, "What if I had taken a chance with that officer that dad's secretary wanted to set me up with? Maybe if I had let those men into my life...and Matt's...when I had the chance, he wouldn't be so starved for male attention now."

"Have you asked Matt if he's starved for attention?" Ava wanted to know. "Because this could all be in your head." Smiling gently at her daughter, she added, "Trust me, I know all about being a neurotic mommy. We stay up at nights wondering if we have done everything right while our kids sleep peacefully down the hall...without a care in the world. It's entirely possible that he talked to Steve because he *liked* talking to Steve. Life is much easier when you are ten...you don't always have an ulterior motive for everything you do."

"I don't know," Katie said quietly, slathering the Italian bread with garlic butter. "It's just been a long day and…"

"The shooting at the hospital?" Ava guessed and Katie should have known that her father already knew about the shooting and in turn told his wife. "Was it in the ER?" When her daughter shook her head, Ava asked, "But you witnessed it? How close were you?"

"Do you really want to know?" the brunette asked and it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"That close?" Ava asked and Katie nodded as she lifted her hair to reveal the bandage covering up the wound caused by Okalani's gun digging into her neck. Her mother drew in a sharp breath and immediately moved over to touch the bandage, as if she could make the boo boo all better, as she asked, "Did you get shot?"

"No, mom," her daughter replied, leaning up and kissing her mother on the nose to soothe her fears, "Steve pushed me down to the floor and out of the way of the gunshots."

"I like him already," Ava breathed, not realizing that Katie had left a very important part of the story out. That was for another day.

"And then he kissed me," Katie continued, knowing that bit of information would make her mother think of something besides her child being near a shoot out.

"He kissed you?" Ava repeated, a smile slowly replacing the concern on her face as she watched her daughter wrap the garlic bread in aluminum foil and place it on a tray in the oven. She was so much like her father, that one. The way she could talk about guns going off around her and being kissed by a good looking man while calmly preparing dinner amazed the elder James woman. Ava had waited so long to have a baby girl that she could dress up in cute clothes and braid her hair. But from the moment the nurses put Katie in her father's arms, she belonged to him. Frank and Ava James had raised their little girl to be strong and smart and independent…and she had learned her lessons well.

"Yes, he kissed me," Katie repeated and then added, "And now he is coming over here tomorrow to throw a football around with my son and I don't know how to feel about that."

"Was it a good kiss?"

Katie considered lying to her mother, but knew it wouldn't work, so she admitted quietly, "It was a fantastic kiss."

"Then I don't understand the problem," Ava said, taking salad dressing out of the refrigerator and moving over to dress the salad, "A good looking man who owes you his life has taken an interest in you and your son. He protects you from madmen with guns, knows how to throw a football, and is a fantastic kisser. Sounds like a win-win-win to me."

"It's not a win-win-win," Katie informed her, taking down plates so that she could set the table, "The only reason that I was around a madman with a gun is because he came there looking for Steve. I can't get involved with someone like that."

"Someone who protects his country and the people he cares about?" Ava clucked, tossing the salad around in the bowl, "Yeah, why would you want to get involved with a loser like that?"

"You don't understand…"

"Of course not," her mother said, not looking up from the salad, "It's not like I have been married to a marine for the last forty years or been the mother of four marines for the last twenty years. I mean, I couldn't possibly understand what it's like to send the love of my life or one of the children that I brought into this world off to battle and worry about whether I would ever see them again…"

"Mom," Katie interrupted softly, coming over to the counter to put her hand over her mother's, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just meant that…"

"Listen to me, my darling," Ava said, clasping her daughter's hand tightly, "Really listen to me. You, Mary Katherine James Giordano, are an outstanding person. And if they gave out an award for the best in the human race, you would win it year after year. I am so proud to be your mother. You have been my child, my challenge, my support, my best friend…"

"Mom, you're going to make me cry…"

"Well maybe you should cry," Ava answered with a smile, "or laugh, or do whatever your heart tells you to. I know how hard you've worked to provide Matty with a good life and a stable home in the face of tragic circumstances. And you have done that…100%. But somewhere along the way, you forgot to take care of you. You put your heart away after Jimmy died and decided that chapter of your life was over. But it's not. You are young and smart and beautiful and obviously someone that men want to kiss. So maybe you should go out there and find someone to love who would really see you, and love you back..."

"He's a cop, mom," Katie reminded her mother, "I can't go through that again."

"You can't go around looking for the worst possible scenarios, baby girl," Ava said, lifting her daughters hand to her lips and kissing it gently, "If I had done that, I never would have married your father and had this wonderful life I have. Which means you would never have this wonderful life you have…"

"Something smells good in here!"

Both women turned in time to see their favorite guys walk into the kitchen. Glancing cautiously between his wife and his daughter, Frank James asked, "Did we interrupt something?"

"Nope," Ava said breezily, reaching up to kiss her husband on the cheek. Handing him the dinner plates, she shooed him over to the table as she commanded, "Make yourself useful."

"Matty, help grandpa," Katie chimed in, smiling gratefully at her mother.

Doing as he was told, Frank brought the plates over to the table and commented, "Matt was telling me that Commander McGarrett is coming over tomorrow to toss the football around with him. How did that happen?"

"I asked him," Matt replied simply, putting the placemats around the table. And then grinning at his mother, he added slyly, "I think it's because he wants to be mom's boyfriend!"

"What?" Frank asked as Ava laughed and Katie's cheeks turned bright red.

"Matthew!" Katie scolded her son in exasperation. "I am glad that Commander McGarrett is your friend and I am glad he is coming to teach you how to throw a football. But he is not going to be my boyfriend! Now let's talk about something else."

"Okay." Matt muttered, but smiled mischeviously up at his grandfather because a plan was already forming inside his head. And neither his mother or Commander Steve were going to know what hit them.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Sometimes grown ups can really mess things up...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen – Best Laid Plans<strong>

"_Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."_

~John Lennon

_Saturday, around 1 o'clock..._

"Is he here yet?"

Katie shook her head as she told her son for the millionth time that day, "I told you that I would tell you when he gets here."

"And you're not going to be mean to him today, right?" Matt called down from the second floor of the Giordano house. "You promised."

"I will be on my best behavior," Katie promised, calling up the stairs to him as she opened up the hallway closet and pulled out the vacuum cleaner.

A few minutes later, she heard the rumblings of Matt's feet as he tromped down the stairs from his bedroom. When he appeared in the kitchen, his mother looked him over and asked skeptically, "Don't you think you are a little overdressed to play football?"

Matt looked down at his cargo pants, t-shirt, and camp shirt and then looked back at his mother and replied, "I thought we could go to Teddy's Bigger Burgers afterwards to get something to eat." Eyeing her mischievously, he added, "All of us."

"Have you informed Commander McGarrett of this plan of yours?" the surgeon asked her son as she began moving furniture around the family room so that she could vacuum.

"He has to eat," Matt reminded her, "And he's been eating hospital food for a couple of weeks now, so he'll be wanting something that tastes good. And a Kailua Burger should be just the thing he needs." He watched her for a minute and then asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning."

"Why?"

"It's Saturday," Katie told him with a smirk. "I always clean the house on Saturday."

"But Commander Steve is coming," Matt whined.

"He's coming to see you, not me," she reminded him.

"But aren't you going to come outside and play with us?"

"No," she answered him distractedly. "I don't want to learn how to throw a football. And, I have to clean the house."

"But you could come down to the beach to watch us," Matt persisted.

"I can see you through the window," Katie told her son, gesturing out the family room window toward their backyard.

"But we can't talk to you through the window."

"Matthew!" Katie cried in exasperation. "Stop with the nonsense! I have a lot to do today."

He was quiet for a minute before he scrunched up his nose and asked, "Are you going to wear that?"

The surgeon looked down at her own outfit of a gray tank top, her favorite navy blue mesh shorts, and flip flops as she told him, "I always wear these clothes to clean the house. They're comfortable and I don't mind getting them dirty."

"Yeah, but..." Matt said, "...you look better in your jeans and that red shirt. Or maybe one of your sundresses...I like that yellow one with the big blue flowers on it. And with your hair down and not in a ponytail..."

"This isn't a fashion show," Katie pointed out to him as she moved to plug in the vacuum cleaner, "I'm not getting dressed up to clean the house just because Steve McGarrett is coming over. He's not coming over to see me."

"But if we go to Teddy's..."

"We're not going to Teddy's," she informed him.

"But it would be a nice thing to do!" he told her desperately. His mother was not going along with his plans at all. "To thank him for coming over and teaching me how to throw the football."

"We'll send him a card," Katie drawled sarcastically. "Now go upstairs and change into your shorts. Those are school clothes and you can't wear them to play football out on the beach."

"Mom!"

"Matt!" she shot back at him, teasingly.

He checked the clock on the TV and noticed that it was a few minutes past 1:00. Looking at his mother skeptically, he asked, "Are you sure you gave him good directions?"

"Yes, Matthew," Katie answered with a sigh, "I do know how to get to our house, you know. He probably got distracted while doing his hair. Now, scoot...I have to vacuum this room and you have to change."

Matt glared skeptically at his mother and her uncooperative attitude one last time before he went upstairs to change into his play clothes. He was going to have to figure out a way to get her and Commander Steve together before the day was over and she wasn't making things easy for him.

Downstairs, Katie turned on the vacuum cleaner and began running it along the floor in the family room. She had almost finished the entire room when she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Turning off the vacuum, the petite brunette moved to the front door and opened it up to reveal a smirking Steve McGarrett standing out on her front porch.

"Well, I hope you didn't dress up on my account," he greeted her sarcastically, looking over her outfit as she stepped aside to let him into the foyer of the house.

"Look," Katie told him, leading him back to the kitchen, "I promised Matty that I wouldn't be mean to you today...so don't provoke me and make me break that promise."

"Okay," Steve said agreeably, as his eyes scanned the comfortable surroundings of Matt and Katie's home. "This is a nice place."

"Thank you," Katie said, moving into the kitchen. "Matt should be right down...he's just changing his clothes. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair as Katie moved stiffly around the kitchen to pour herself some lemonade. Finally looking across the counter at him, she asked hesitantly, "Are you mad at me?"

_Oh God_. She visibly cringed and couldn't believe how much she sounded like a little girl.

Smirking at her reaction to her own statement, Steve raised his eyebrow and asked nonchalantly, "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Well," she began, "because I led you on and then threw you out of the hospital lounge yesterday."

"Oh yeah…that."

"Yeah, that," Katie repeated, surprised by his cool demeanor. She had been replaying the scenario over and over in her head all night long and he seemed as if he hadn't given it a second thought. So, she tried to explain, "I just…my emotions were all…and you were so nice and…"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted and then added, "That lemonade does look good. Maybe I'll take a glass after all."

She nodded and moved over to the cabinet to take down another glass as she repeated, "Don't worry about it?"

"It happened. It's over," he explained as he watched her pour his lemonade over some ice, "I'm over it."

"You're over it?" she repeated again, completely aware that she was beginning to sound like a Myna Bird. Passing his glass across the counter to him, she said calmly, "Because yesterday you wanted us to talk about it."

Steve took a long gulp of the drink she offered him before he informed her, "I have since decided that talking is completely overrated." And silently he thought_, Especially when there are so many other ways to change a woman's mind._

"Oh…okay," she answered slowly and Steve secretly enjoyed the fact that she looked so surprised and off her game. And that was part of his plan…he wanted Mary Katherine James Giordano to find out how much fun it was to lose a little bit of that control she held onto so tightly. He watched as she pasted a smile on her succulent lips and added, "Well, I'm glad that you didn't let what happened between us keep you from spending time with Matt today. He's really looking forward to this. So, thanks for giving up part of your Saturday for him."

Steve wasn't expecting the sincerity in her voice, so he returned her smile and said, "I'm looking forward to it, too. I haven't really had time to throw the ball around since moving back to the island. And I like hanging out with Matt."

"Yeah, about that..." Katie said, glancing up the stairs to see if her son was within hearing distance. "I need to talk to you about this little friendship that the two of you are building."

"I know that you are concerned about someone my age hanging out with your son," Steve told her before taking another sip of his lemonade, "But Matt is no ordinary ten year old kid."

"Which is exactly why him being friends with someone like you concerns me," Katie told him quietly, slipping back into the overprotective mother role that she was so good at.

"Meaning?"

"It means that his life is complicated," the brunette told him, her voice barely louder than a whisper, "Not only did he grow up without a father, but he has spent an entire lifetime worshipping Jimmy and building him up in his head. With no real memories of his own to draw on, he has created this larger than life hero that no one…including Jimmy…is ever going to live up to." Katie paused to refill his glass and then reminded him, "And then you come along and you basically fulfill all of these unrealistic fantasies he has about SEALS and hero cops..."

"Well they're not so unrealistic then, are they?" he interrupted, raising his eyebrow at her.

"He needs stability, Commander," Katie continued, ignoring his interruption, "He needs to know that the people who love him are always going to be there for him." Looking up at him pointedly, she reminded him, "You and your job are not stable. He has had enough of that in his life already."

"So, what are you asking me for?" Steve asked, a little insulted by her comments. "A lifetime commitment? We're just playing football."

"Today," Katie answered sharply, "Today is just about football. But he can get attached to you very easily. In fact, I think he already has." She looked down at the counter and began to play with her own glass as she continued, "You've been really nice to him and I appreciate that. But your job and the way you do it doesn't really leave you a lot of room for a friendship with a ten year old boy. And I just don't want him to get his hopes up if you're not going to follow through..."

"I understand," Steve interrupted, his voice very reassuring. "But, don't worry about it. I'm..."

"I do worry about it."

"I know," he said gently. "But I'm not going to do anything to hurt Matt. Whether you believe me or not, I really like the kid." Winking at her, he added teasingly, "And his mother is starting to grow on me, too."

Katie smiled through her worry and shook her head as Matt's feet were heard on the stairs.

"Hey, Commander Steve!" The ten year old called, "Are you ready to play?"

"I'm ready, sport," Steve said with a grin. "I hope it's okay that I invited a few friends along to play with us."

"Who?"

"Just a few of my pals from SEAL team 9," the Commander informed him with a grin, which widened as both Matt and his mother's jaws almost dropped to the floor. "They're going to meet us down at the beach."

"Did they know my dad?"

"Mac served on Team 2 with him…"

"Tim MacNeil?" Katie interrupted in surprise as she recognized a name from her past. When Steve nodded, she mused out loud, "Timmy MacNeil is in Hawaii? I can't believe it."

"He can't wait to see you," Steve told her with a smile and then looking down at Matt, he added, "And to meet Matty boy here. I'm sure Mac has got some great stories about your dad."

Matt grinned up at his tall friend before turning to his mother and saying, "See mom, now you have to come with us and see your friend Mac."

Katie paused and for a minute it seemed like she was going to follow them out the door. But at the last minute she changed her mind and said, "Maybe I'll stop down a little later. After I clean this place up."

Matt frowned because he knew that meant she probably wouldn't come at all, but dutifully kissed his mother good-bye before following Steve out the back door into the yard. As they descended the steps and headed for the path that led to the beach, Matt asked, "Did you bring the ball?"

Steve nodded and paused to open up the passenger side door of his truck to grab the football that he had brought along. Tossing the ball to his young friend as they walked, he said, "Okay, first lesson...the key to a good pass is a good grip. You want to spread your fingers lightly across the laces, with your thumb and forefinger making a "U" that cradles the tail of the ball."

Steve leaned down to demonstrate for Matt as he continued, "The strength of your grip should come primarily from your thumb, middle and ring fingers. The farther back you can grip, and the easier it will be to achieve a spiral…"

"Oh my God, is that Matty Giordano?"

Both Matt and Steve looked up to see a tall, muscular, red headed man strutting toward them from the beach. McGarrett smiled and thrust out his right hand in greeting as he said, "Mac, glad you could make it!"

After the two men exchanged greetings, the newcomer looked down at a curious Matt and murmured in surprise, "You look so much like your daddy."

Looking down at Matt, Steve introduced the pair by saying, "Matt, this is Lt. Commander Tim MacNeil. Mac, this is the man of the hour…Matt Giordano."

"You knew my dad?"

"Knew him?" Mac repeated with a laugh, reaching out to tussle the boys dark hair, "We served together for three years. He was one of my best buds. In fact, I was there the night he met your mama. Stood next to him when he married her two days later, too. Now that was a wild weekend." He laughed again as he looked around and asked, "Where is KKG, anyway?"

"KKG?" Steve and Matt both asked at the same time.

"Our nickname for your mom," Mac explained, "I guess her nickname was KK when she was a little girl and after she married your dad, we added the G."

"KKG," Matt repeated with a grin, "I like that. I wonder why she never told me that." Looking up at his new friend and his parents' old friend, the 10 year old explained, "I don't think she's coming. She has to clean up the house, but she may come down later."

Mac and McGarrett exchanged a look above Matt's head before Steve threw the football to his friend and asked, "So, are we here to play or what?"

Nodding to some guys who were hanging out down on the beach, Mac threw the ball back to Steve and started to trot backwards in the sand as he said, "I'll go rally the troops!"

Looking down at Matt, Steve handed him the ball and said, "Okay Matt…you'll want to stand with your feet directly beneath your hips, keeping your non-throwing hip facing the target. Grip the ball solidly with your throwing hand while cupping it lightly with your non-throwing hand. And then as you release, your body should be facing your target so that you get an accurate throw. But don't let go of the ball too soon...that's where you get your distance."

Matt continued to watch as Steve threw a perfect pass across the beach to one of the guys waiting down closer to the water. The S.E.A.L. threw it back almost as perfectly as the youngster scrambled to catch the football.

"That was great!" Matt gushed as he ran back toward Steve with the ball.

"Yeah, just don't tell your mom I did that," Steve said with a laugh, unconsciously rubbing his left shoulder. Looking down at his protégé, he asked, "Want to try?" Matt nodded and so the Commander instructed, "Okay, the guys and I will stand about ten feet away from you and we'll just practice tossing the ball. When you've got your grip perfected, we'll start moving back and see how far you can throw...okay?"

"Yeah," the youngster said excitedly, focusing his concentration on the ball. It took a few minutes for him to get the hang of it, but pretty soon he was throwing the ball to Steve and his friends pretty smoothly.

"You're a natural!" Mac called, slowly taking a step backwards. "Now, let's see if you can give it a little bit more distance."

Matt and the guys talked and laughed and tossed the football for the next hour while Mac regaled them all with stories from his days with S.E.A.L. Team 2.

"…and we lived out there for three months, in the snowy Russian plains. We had been fighting long and hard to win over a strongly fortified base in Severnaya. Every night we would watch the American flags flap violently in the strong, chilling winds at the base twelve miles from the huge Soviet base. We were just out of range of Soviet's radar. It is just as well too, because if the Soviets knew we were there they would have a massacre on their hands. Your dad, the team, and I were constantly alert, waiting for something to happen, gripping the handle of the heavy machine guns in below zero temperatures."

"Cool," Matt breathed, completely enthralled by the stories Mac and Steve were telling about his father. SEAL Team 2 is the only team that has arctic warfare capabilities. That is one of the most unique traits of SEAL Team #2 that set it apart from all others, so they had seen and done things some of the other teams never would. And his dad had been in the middle of it.

"Very cool," Steve agreed, glad to see Matt so happy.

Mac was suddenly distracted by something behind them and his face broke out into a huge smile as he called out, "KKG!"

The guys all turned around to see Katie coming down the path from the house toward the beach. She had changed into a pair of white shorts and an orange tank top that looked gorgeous against her tanned skin. Her brown waves were set free as the wind whipped it playfully around her face and Steve felt the uncomfortable pangs of jealousy clench his heart when she ran toward Mac and jumped into his open arms with an enormous smile on her pretty lips.

As the two walked back to the group arm in arm, Katie looked down at her son and asked, "How is the football practice going?"

"He's a natural," Steve informed her, narrowing his eyes at how comfortably Katie fit into Mac's side. Although he knew that Mac had been happily married for almost fifteen years and he was just happy to see an old friend, Steve couldn't shake the feeling of envy spreading through him when he saw Katie's easy response to his casual embrace. It was like she was a different person.

"I think I've got the hang of it, mom," Matt said, tossing the ball to Steve to prove his statement, "Plus, Commander Steve and Commander Mac have been telling me all kinds of stories about dad and the SEALS. Did you know that dad was stationed out in the tundra near Russia? Kinda like Star Wars!"

"Star Wars?" Katie asked, raising an eyebrow at Mac.

"I needed a visual!" he joked with a laugh. When she playfully punched him in the chest, he said, "I think Steve can handle the lesson on his own for awhile. How about a little walk on the beach so we can catch up on the last ten years. Can you believe that my oldest daughter will be a freshman in high school next year?"

"Maggie?" Katie asked in surprise and then shook her head at the pair began to walk down the beach, "Maggie is going to high school? That can't be. That means we are old…"

Steve watched the pair of old friends as they headed down towards the water with a dumbfounded look on his face. Matt, wise beyond his years, knew what that look meant and smiled mischievously as he said, "My mom's pretty cool. For a girl."

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked, snapping himself back to reality and signaling for the rest of the guys to take a break.

"Don't you think she's cool?"

Steve thought for a minute as the pair walked over to the cooler and took out some bottles of water, then agreed, "She's very cool." He grinned and added, "For a girl."

"And she's pretty, too." Matt added. "She's cool and she's pretty."

"That's a very good combination," the Commander told him with a smile. "You're a very lucky kid."

Closing the cooler and sitting down on top of it, Matt thought for a minute and asked, "Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Yes," Steve replied, raising his eyebrow at him and wondering where this conversation was headed. "Why?"

"Because my mom cooks really good spaghetti and meatballs!" he told him. "She cooks lots of good stuff. She's a good cook." He took a long sip of his water and then added, "Maybe you could come over for dinner sometime and she could cook for you."

"Maybe."

"Like tonight?" Matt asked hopefully.

"Sorry, buddy," Steve told him. "I have a date tonight."

Matt's face fell as he asked, "But I thought you said you don't have a girlfriend!"

"I don't," the Commander replied with a grin. "I have a couple of them."

"More than one girlfriend?" Matt asked incredulously. "Are they prettier than my mom?"

Suddenly realizing where Matt was going with this conversation, Steve looked down at his young friend and asked, "Matt, are you trying to set me up with your mom?"

"No," he replied quickly, looking down and kicking some sand with his bare foot. Then, looking up at Steve, he added, "Maybe."

Steve laughed and said, "Matt, that's not going to work. Your mom doesn't want to get involved with someone like me..."

"But she likes you!" Matt protested. "She thinks it's really nice that you are talking to me about stuff."

"Well, that's good," Steve replied. "But we..."

"You said that you think she's pretty," Matt reminded him. "And that's she's cool and you have some things in common. So, why don't you just let her be one of your girlfriends?"

"Matt," Steve said quietly, putting his water bottle down in the sand and taking a deep breath, "your mom is not the kind of woman who wants to be 'one of my girlfriends'. She probably wants to be someone's only girlfriend..."

"So, get rid of the rest of your girlfriends," Matt suggested. "And then my mom will be the only one…"

But before Steve could say anything else, Mac and Katie's voices were heard approaching the cooler as the pair walked up the beach towards them.

"…and I can't believe you are still single."

"Believe it."

"How does that happen?" Mac asked playfully. "Do you walk around with a paper bag over your head or something?"

Katie laughed and tried to avoid any and all eye contact with Steve as her son handed the two of them bottle of water. After taking a sip, Katie explained, "I work crazy hours. And when I'm not at the hospital, I'm at home with my main guy."

"Well, no offense to your main guy," Mac said with a grin, "but there is more to life than that. I have a friend…"

"No," Katie and Matt both said at the same time, causing Katie to look down at her son strangely.

"He's not a SEAL," Mac informed her, his eyes softening as he read his old friends' thoughts, "He's an accountant. Can't get much safer than that. And I do know your type, don't I? Why don't I give him a call and you can both come over to our place for dinner tonight…"

"You're going on a date?" Matt interrupted desperately. "You can't go out on a date tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because we were going to Teddy's to get a burger with Commander Steve..."

"We were?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow at Matt.

"I told you that we weren't doing that," Katie said, looking down at her son strangely. "But if I go over to Mac and Renee's maybe grandpa will take you to Teddy's for dinner and..."

"No!" Matt said stubbornly. "It's not supposed to work that way!"

"What are you talking about?" Katie asked

Realizing that his mother didn't have any idea what he was talking about, Matt pursed his lips and pouted, "We were supposed to go to Teddy's Bigger Burger. With Commander Steve."

Katie simply shook her head at him and said, "Well I haven't decided if I'm going to go over to Mac and Renee's for dinner, but I am sure that we are not going to Teddy's with Commander McGarrett. He was nice enough to give up his afternoon for you and I'm sure he has other plans for the evening…"

"He has a date," Matt pouted.

"He does?" Katie asked, looking up at Steve in surprise. When he nodded in confirmation, she frowned and tried to push down the jealousy that suddenly rose up within her as she said, "Well, there you go. Nobody is going to Teddy's for a burger tonight. Except for maybe you and grandpa."

And that is when her ten year old, mostly well behaved son, threw the equivalent of a temper tantrum right there on the beach. Kicking the sand in front of him and turning away from his mother in anger, Matt stomped up the beach toward the path that led to their house. Katie exchanged a confused look with Mac and Steve, but before Steve could explain she ran after her son and asked him, "Are you mad at me?" When he didn't answer, she reminded him, "Weren't you just telling me that you thought I should have a boyfriend to take me out to dinner and the movies? Well, I'm going out to a nice dinner at Mac and Renee's..."

"Is Commander Mac's friend going to be your new boyfriend?" Matt asked accusingly.

"I haven't even decided if I'm going!" Katie exclaimed in frustration. Running her fingers through her hair, she asked, "What is going on with you?"

Snottily, he shot back, "Nothing."

"Watch your tone, little man," she warned, "I am your mother." When Matt refused to look up at her, Katie rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, I think this little football game is over. Go and thank the guys for spending the afternoon with you and then it is time for you to go home for an attitude adjustment."

Matt was about to protest, but then he took one look at his mother's face and quickly shut his mouth. She had let him off grounding for the afternoon and if he didn't watch his step he was going to be confined to his room for the rest of his life. Walking back over to the group, who had read between the lines and were packing things up, Matt looked helplessly up at Steve.

The Commander watched him closely as he said, "I don't think that was the best way to talk to your mom."

But instead of answering Steve, he looked over at Mac and said, "It was nice to meet you. Thanks for telling me about my dad's missions. But did you really have to end it by ruining everything?"

"What did I ruin?" Mac asked, looking at Steve in confusion.

"You can't set her up with your accountant friend!" Matt exclaimed, looking up at Steve with a frown. "This is going to change everything!"


	16. Chapter 16

_**Inching forward little by little with these two stubborn people. And actually, I like their silly banter...it's fun to write. But it's not all fun and games...I hope I provided a little more insight into Katie's fears. But then Steve does his best to squash them so I'm kinda proud of him in this chapter. Sometimes grown ups can get it right...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen – The Heart of the Matter<strong>

"_Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."_

- Erica Jong

_The next afternoon..._

"Are you ready for some football?"

Katie looked up from her place in the second row of bleachers on the home team's side of the football field to see a familiar presence descending the metal staircase and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Matt told me that he has a game today," Steve said, stepping down to her row. "I'm assuming that since you are here, this is the right field."

"Yes," Katie affirmed, "but...what are *_you_* doing here?"

"I'm here to see the game."

"A Pop Warner football game?" Katie asked snidely, refusing to allow herself to get sucked in by the familiar masculine scent of him, "You have nothing better to do today than watch a bunch of kids run around on a football field?"

"You're here," he pointed out.

"I'm his mother," she reminded him.

"Well, I'm his friend."

"The game is almost over," Katie informed him, squinting up in his direction. "There are only a few more minutes left in the third quarter."

"I got lost trying to find the recreation complex," Steve admitted sheepishly. "Your son is not as good with directions as you are."

"Matt asked you to come?" she asked. "Didn't he tell you that he doesn't usually play?"

"Well, you never know what can happen," the Commander replied and then nodded down to the metal seat she was sitting on, "Is someone sitting here or are you by yourself?"

"I'm by myself."

Once again Steve had to wonder what the hell was the matter with the men in Hawaii. Katie, dressed simply in denim shorts and a red t-shirt, was one of the most beautiful creatures that he had ever laid eyes on and the fact that she was sitting alone had to be against some kind of law.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Why?"

Steve chuckled and then told her, "Because you're the only person I know here. Except for that girl down there." He nodded in the direction of a young, blond woman sitting about twenty bleachers away. "I think I may have gone out with her."

"You *_think_* you may have gone out with her?" Katie sneered, unconsciously glancing in the young woman's direction and stifling the feelings of jealousy that rose up within her. Seeing the twenty-something, leggy blond with the perfectly coiffed hair and designer fashions that had no place on a football field, the surgeon self consciously smoothed a hand through her unruly waves and wished she had put on some make-up before she left the house.

"I can't really remember," Steve shrugged nonchalantly, noting her physical response to his teasing. The woman seriously didn't know that she could be wearing a potato sack and look better to him than any other woman in the universe. But to keep her off her game, he added with a playful wink, "Toto, I don't think we're in single digits anymore."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Why would I do that?" He teased, his smirk widening into a grin before adding, "Since you have repeatedly proven to me that you have no sense of humor."

"I have a sense of humor," Katie replied dryly, frowning at him. She wasn't quite sure why she was giving him such a hard time but if she took some time to ponder her feelings, it would probably have something to do with his date last night. And knowing that was just plain silly of her annoyed her even more. Sighing deeply, she shot back, "I just don't find you that amusing."

"Okay." Steve answered and then asked, "But can I sit here?"

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I find you to be the most annoying human being on the planet," Katie retorted promptly, biting her lip to keep from grinning. The line was from one of her favorite Sandra Bullock movies and she had always wanted to be able to use it.

"Well, that's just silly," he said, ignoring her request and settling down on the bleachers next to her. She was surprised to hear that he knew the Hugh Grant response which followed the line in the movie as he added with a grin, "Have you met everybody on the planet?"

"Why do you ask questions if you are only going to ignore the answers?" she asked, trying to keep from laughing out loud at their little exchange.

"Is it really going to bother you if I sit here?"

"No," the brunette replied, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he annoyed her, "But I'm probably going to do my best to ignore you."

"Well, ignore away," Steve answered with another grin. "I'm going to watch a football game."

They watched the game in silence for a few moments...but only for a few moments. The buzzer to signal the end of the third quarter rang and Katie sighed as Steve let out an ear piercing whistle before asking, "Do you come to these games every week?"

"Hmm..?" Katie tore her eyes from the miniature players and finally focused on him.

Steve merely chuckled at her precise focus as he unconsciously reached out to tuck a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear. The doctor's cheeks were tinged pink with sunburn, her nose was covered with a smattering of freckles, and her hair was completely windblown.

She looked breathtaking.

"Do you come to these games every week?" He repeated, shaking those thoughts out of his head and trying to ignore the fact that he had just performed such an intimate gesture without thinking twice. And, what's more, she didn't try to stop him. When Katie nodded, he asked, "So, you're a big football fan?"

"I don't particularly see the appeal in it, but it obviously makes Matt happy," she replied, trying not to look over at him and encourage him. "So, here I sit...every Sunday afternoon...on these uncomfortable bleachers and watch little boys in spandex uniforms chase a ball across a field."

"My mom used to do the same thing," he assured her and then looked back at the field as he cracked, "And look how well I turned out." And then suddenly, he asked, "How was your date last night?"

Katie shook her head and muttered, "You know, it's very hard to ignore you if you won't shut up."

"Come on," Steve goaded her with a smile. "As you pointed out, this is a Pop Warner football game and our favorite player hasn't left the bench. What else are we going to do? So, spill it. How was the date with the accountant?"

"I didn't go."

"Why not?"

Katie hesitated a moment before answering, "Because it bothered Matty so much." Shrugging her shoulders and adjusting her sunglasses, she added nonchalantly, "I guess he's just not ready for me to start dating."

"I don't think that's it."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

They sat in silence for a few more moments until Katie couldn't stand it anymore and finally asked sharply, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't think that Matt had a problem with you going out on a date," he told her slowly, "I just think that it was your choice of companion that he had the problem with."

"Companion?" Katie repeated again, wondering why their conversations always seemed to consist of her repeating his statements, "I didn't even know the guy. He was a friend of Mac's…"

"He wasn't me," Steve interrupted, raising his eyebrow at her.

Katie frowned at his sudden statement and then shot back, "Well, I don't know anything about him but that has got to be one of his best qualities."

"You can insult me all you want," the Commander said with a grin, "But the reason Matt was upset was because he was trying to set you up with me last night. And you weren't going along with his plans."

"You?" she repeated again and then added to herself, "So that's what dinner at Teddy's Bigger Burgers was all about. Oh God." Katie shook her head as she turned back to the field and added, "Matt will get over it."

"I don't know," Steve argued playfully. "He was pretty upset."

"He's ten," Katie reasoned. "He doesn't..."

"You can't use his age as an excuse for everything he does, you know," Steve interrupted again.

The surgeon finally turned to look at him and bristled slightly as she asked, "You aren't seriously going to give me a lesson in raising my child, are you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it." He answered in all seriousness. She studied him for a moment, so then it was his turn to look back at the field. Once again changing the subject, he asked, "So which one is Joel what's-his-name?"

"Number 9."

"Are you sure that kid is ten?" Steve asked after locating the quarterback in question. "He's really good."

"I know." Katie muttered defeatedly. "That's why my Matty spent the season riding the bench."

Steve could hear the disappointment in her voice and remarked helpfully, "Well, there's what...two more games? Maybe his luck will change."

Katie nodded and then looked over at him as she said, "Thanks again for coming over yesterday to help him. It was all he could talk about all morning. He bragged to all of his teammates about it when we got here."

He shrugged off the compliment and answered, "He picked it up pretty quick."

"So, should I start preparing for his career in the NFL?" she teased, glancing down at the back of her son's uniform.

"Why not?" Steve asked with a shrug. "I have a feeling that Matt can be anything he wants to be." He paused and then added with a smile, "Just like his mom."

"Now, why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, not understanding her sudden question.

"Throw in unexpectedly sweet comments like that and make it impossible for me to insult you for the next few minutes," Katie answered in a light tone.

"You're an easy target," Steve informed her with another smile, secretly thrilled that she'd acknowledged his compliment.

"For the insults or the sweet stuff?" she asked skeptically.

"Both."

Katie grinned and with a shake of her head, she said sincerely, "You really are quite charming."

"Was that a compliment?" he asked in surprise.

"Maybe," she said coyly, glancing back out onto the field.

"It would just kill you to have a normal conversation with me, wouldn't it?" Steve observed, wondering if she even realized that she was flirting with him.

"No," Katie answered quickly. "But it might kill you."

"Why?" He shot back. "Are you that bad at conversations?"

"No," she challenged with a stubborn look on her face, "because I am that good. I have conversations all the time about religion, politics, art, music, current events...all kinds of interesting topics."

"What makes you think that I can't talk about those things?" he asked in reply and then shook his head as he added, "You really don't think that much of me, do you?"

"I try not to," she quipped.

"Liar."

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied with a grin.

"No, tell me what that means." Katie insisted, nudging him with her elbow. He just kept grinning at her like a fool. Except… well… that look in his gorgeous blue eyes was making her stomach flutter again. But just a tiny bit.

"I think you think of me more than you want people to know," Steve informed her smugly.

"That's because you always seem to be around," she cried in her own defense. "You were a permanent fixture at the hospital for a few weeks, you are best friends with my best friends' fiancé, and now...apparently...we share my son."

"Does that bother you?" he asked seriously.

Katie opened her mouth to give him a smart answer, but suddenly changed her mind. She let out a long sigh and admitted honestly, "Not as much as I was hoping it would."

Steve chuckled at her admission and quipped, "Sorry to disappoint you, Dr. Giordano."

"Just don't disappoint him," she warned him seriously.

"I won't," he answered just as seriously.

They shared a long look before Katie finally tore her eyes away to glance at the field. As the game roared on below them, Steve's leg began doing a nervous jig that caused Katie to glance at him every so often. He obviously wasn't a man who was used to sitting still for long periods of time.

"So, why are you sitting by yourself?" he asked, disconcerted by the silence.

"I'm not," she reminded him. "Anymore."

"Why *_were_* you sitting by yourself?" he corrected.

"My mom and dad usually come with me, but they had some sort of church dinner to attend today. Now that they're retired, people like to appoint them to all sorts of committee's…which drives my dad crazy. He'd much rather be here watching Matt keep the bench warm. But, I like to just sit here by myself and people watch." She said with a shrug, and then added with a grin, "And eavesdrop. Sometimes at these things, you learn more than you ever wanted to know."

"Like what?"

"You see that couple there?" Katie discreetly pointed at a couple sitting a few rows away from them and Steve's gaze followed obediently, "Well, he's having an affair with the babysitter and she can eat a pound cake in under a minute."

His burst of sudden laughter was an unexpected, but definitely not unpleasant, sound.

"Wow," Steve said with a shake of his head as he recovered from his laughter.

"What?"

"You do have a sense of humor."

"And you can be mildly amusing," Katie shot back with a smile.

"Don't look now, Giordano," he warned with a grin, "but I think we are getting along."

"Actually, getting along is not really our problem…"

"My job is," he finished for her and then asked, "How is it that you grew up a military brat who can't deal with my high risk job?"

"I can deal with it," Katie told him matter of factly, "I have dealt with it. For my entire life. I just don't want to."

"And there is nothing I can do to change your mind," he asked in a low, suggestive voice that made them both think of those hot, steamy kisses they shared at the hospital.

Tearing her eyes away from those tantalizing lips of his, she shook those thoughts out of her head and told him seriously, "I watched my mom go through it her entire life. One day she had a normal family life and the next day she was glued to the television set trying to figure out if my dad's unit was involved in anything that included a death toll. My older brothers would tell me stories of how my mother was sometimes too afraid to answer the phone or the door in fear that it would be an officer telling her that my father was dead." Looking down at the field, she continued quietly, "My mother was one of the strongest women I've ever met, but one day a few years ago, I found her in a pile of tears in the kitchen. She told me that sometimes she just had to cry…because every time my dad or one of my brothers left her sight there was the very real possibility that she was never going to see them again. And that when I had married Jimmy, she saw my future as a SEAL's wife and it wasn't at all what she wanted for me, but she could never tell me. It shook me up for such a long time to see her that way…"

Katie's voice trailed off and she shivered involuntarily. The wind had been whipping around the field all morning, but it wasn't the temperature that caused her goosebumps. In a stronger voice, she went on, "How do we handle that fear? How are we just supposed to live with it day in and day out? Matty once heard about a gang shooting on tv asked me if the 'bad guys' were going to blow us up. How do you answer that? How do you explain the kind of evil you deal with every day to a kid? How do you explain that at any time, any place, someone could just decide to take us out?"

Steve was quiet for a long time before he finally asked, "Was that a rhetorical question or do you really want an answer?"

"Do you have one?" she asked, looking at him seriously.

"Well, I guess, that's why evil works...because we can't explain it, we can't predict it, it can happen anytime, anywhere, by anyone. So, all we can do is trust that the good guys...like my team...have our backs, and then we let it go." When she raised her eyebrow at him and was about to interrupt, he added, "Because the only way to stop the fear is by living. Just living. Being with your family, your friends, the people who make you laugh. Look, there is nothing we can do about it - except to seize the day. We live while we can, laugh while we can, love while we can. And that, my friend, is how we survive this crazy life."

Katie just stared at him in shock for a few minutes. She didn't have anything to say in response because he had just thrown out all of her theories like yesterday's bathwater. And then, unexpectedly, Steve's arm was around her, pulling her closely against his warm, hard body. Katie was suddenly deliciously warm, like she had spent the night in flannel sheets and an unexpected sigh of contentment escaped her lips.

But then, as quickly as it had happened, Katie pulled away and stood up with a start.

"I'm going to get a soda," she said quickly, moving away from him as if she wanted to put a million miles between them, "Do you want one?" Steve nodded wordlessly and looked up at her strangely as she continued, "Okay, I'll be back in a flash."

Katie put her head down and walked quickly as she made her way to the concession stand, her hands shoved in the front pockets of her denim cut off shorts. She needed the brisk walk to clear her suddenly cluttered head.

_Why the hell was that man so completely irresistible?_ First he had broken through all of the protections she had put up around her heart and now he was destroying all of her theories for keeping away from him. Damn it.

After she had purchased two bottles of soda from the teenager at the concession stand, she headed back to their seats and tried to figure out what her next move was going to be. If she was smart, her next move would be to Alaska…

"So, what did I miss?" Katie asked brightly, as if nothing at all strange had just occurred between them.

"What number is Matty?" Steve asked, taking one of the bottles of soda from her.

"Twelve," she answered, while she raised a the bottle of fizzy liquid to her lips.

"Don't look now," he said, grinning up at her, "but our boy is going out onto the field."

"No way!" Katie exclaimed, turning to look out at the field. And sure enough, little number twelve was sprinting out into the middle of the huddle. "Oh my God. I can't believe this!"

"Yeah Matt!" Steve shouted, his bottle of soda forgotten as he stood up and started to cheer. "Go number twelve!"

But number twelve's mother simply held her breath as she glanced over at the scoreboard. The other team was up by six, but Matt's Huskies were at the five yard line and poised to score.

And her son was in the game.

"Do you think they're going to run the ball?" Katie asked excitedly. "Or will they let him throw?"

"I think they're going to let him throw," Steve said, just as excitedly, as he studied the field and tried to tell what play the coach had called.

The two of them were both standing on the bleachers, cheering loudly, as the seconds clicked down on the clock. And as Katie held her breath again, Matt took the ball and did everything Steve had taught him to do. Protected by his linemen, Matt paused, planted his feet, and positioned himself to make an accurate throw to his wide receiver. Katie grabbed Steve's arm as the football left Matt's hands and sailed the few yards it needed to land in the waiting hands of his wide receiver. She let out a yelp as the boy took a few steps to his left and fell over the goal line.

Touchdown!

"He scored!" Katie screamed, clutching at Steve in her excitement. "My son threw for a touchdown!"

"Not just any touchdown," Steve corrected, smiling down at her, "The winning touchdown. If the kicker scores the extra point...the Huskies win!"

But Katie was no longer paying attention to him. Her eyes were completely focused on little number twelve, who was now surrounded by his teammates as he received congratulations. She didn't even notice as the extra point kick was perfectly placed. As soon as the buzzer sounded to end the game, she forgot all about Steve and rushed down to the sidelines of the field. Elbowing her way through other excited parents and players, Katie finally found Matty and scooped him up into her arms.

"I did it!" Matt screamed, throwing his arms around his mother in excitement. "I scored a touchdown! We won the game!"

"You were amazing!" Katie screamed back, happy tears in her eyes as she kissed his sweaty forehead. "I am so proud of you!"

"It's all because of Commander Steve," Matt informed him, smiling over his mother's shoulder at the approaching police officer. "He taught me how and I told my coach about it...and he let me play!" He let go of Katie and launched himself at Steve as he repeated excitedly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The Commander laughed down at him and returned his hug as he said, "You did it, sport...not me. It was all you." As he disentangled himself from Matt's enthusiastic hug, he added, "I think this calls for a celebration. Since plans didn't work out so well last night, why don't I take the winning quarterback and his mom out for burgers and shakes at Teddy's?"

Matt turned to his mother, excitement shining in his eyes and pleaded, "Can we, mom? Please."

Katie looked from Steve to Matt before she shrugged, smiled and said, "Sure, why not."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen – She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother**

"_Motherly love is not much use if it expresses itself only as a warm gush of emotion, delicately tinged with pink. It must also be strong, guiding and unselfish. The sweetly sung lullaby; the cool hand on the fevered brow, the Mother's Day smiles and flowers are only a small part of the picture. True mothers have to be made of steel to withstand the difficulties that are sure to beset their children."_

~Rachel Billington

_Six hours later…_

"That was a lot of fun, mom."

Katie smiled down at Matt as she unlocked the door to their home and answered, "I'm glad you had a good time, Matty."

And she was. But she was also exhausted. Because burgers and shakes with Steve at Teddy's had turned into burgers and shakes followed by arcade games and go-karts at the boardwalk. Which, in turn, was then followed by shave ice at the Wailoa Shave Ice Stand and then a walk on the beach. Her son, who had started the day by playing in a football game, had boundless energy and fully expected Steve and Katie to keep up with him. And for the most part, they had.

"I can't wait to tell all my friends at school that I scored the winning touchdown *_and_* I got to drive go-karts with a Navy SEAL!" Matt continued, chattering away like a little wind up toy. "They're going to think you are the coolest mom ever!"

"Great," Katie remarked sarcastically, kicking off her sandals and rubbing her aching feet, "Being adored by 10 year olds is one of my life-long goals, you know."

"I think Commander Steve was my good luck charm today at the field," her son informed her, watching his mother closely. "First, he taught me how to play football. And then when he showed up at the game today, I got put in. And then I threw for the winning touchdown."

"Hey," Katie protested with a laugh, "are you saying that you got put in the game today because Steve showed up?"

"Maybe," Matt said with a grin.

"I was there, too," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but you're there every week," Matt reasoned, looking triumphantly up at his mother. "And I never got put in before. But Commander Steve came *_this_* week and I got to play."

"And I don't get any credit here at all?" the brunette asked, pretending to be hurt by the conversation. "You know, for carrying you in my body for nine months, giving birth to you, and keeping you alive for the last ten years?"

Matt considered her words, cocked his head to the side, and then offered sincerely, "I'll buy you a shake next time we go to Teddy's."

Katie burst out laughing at the exchange as she reached across the coffee table to tousle Matt's hair with a smile. Days like these made all the others worth the effort.

"Do you know what would make the perfect ending to this day?" Matt asked slyly, and then didn't wait for her to answer as he added, "Some chocolate milk."

"You had a soda and Milk Duds at the boardwalk," Katie reminded him, raising her eyebrow at him as she eyed the sneakers he had kicked across the dining room floor until they hit the wall. "And instead of chocolate milk, I think you should go get ready for bed. It's almost ten o'clock and you have school tomorrow."

"I'm not tired," he informed her as he moved over to the hall closet to hang up his football uniform.

"Of course you're not," Katie drawled. "Because you are stuffed with burgers, fries, chocolate shake, candy, soda, and shave ice. When you come back down from this sugar high, you are going to end up crashing hard."

Matt grinned at her and flopped down on the couch, mimicking someone crashing down to earth. Looking over at the telephone, he noticed the blinking light on the answering machine.

"Hey!" he called to his mother. "We have a message!"

"Would you play it for me?" Katie called to him, walking into the laundry room to begin folding the clothes she had put in the dryer earlier that morning. "And then go upstairs and get ready for bed. You've had a big day."

Matt rolled his eyes and reached over to push the 'play' button on the answering machine. He flopped back down on the couch as he listened to an unfamiliar voice flow out of the silver machine...

"Hi Katie, my name is Michael Stevenson. I think we have a common friend…Tim MacNeil. I hope that it's okay that he gave me your number. Anyway, he has mentioned you a few times now and thinks that we may have a lot in common so..."

At those words, Matt sat straight up on the couch and listened carefully.

"...I was wondering if you might let me take you out to dinner sometime this week? At Indigo or Alan Wong's...you pick. And then we can get to know each other and see if Tim's matchmaking skills are as refined as he says they are. So, I would really like it if you could give me a call back and we'll set it up. I hope to hear from you soon. Have a good evening."

"No way," Matt said with a shake of his head. "The only person she's going out to dinner with is Commander Steve. Too bad for you, Michael Stevenson."

As he leaned over to hit the 'erase' button on the answering machine, Katie wandered into the room and asked, "Who was that?"

Pulling his hand back from the answering machine as if something had bitten him, Matt looked guiltily up at his mother and lied, "Nobody."

She looked down at him strangely and said, "But I thought I just heard a man's voice. Who left us a message? Was it someone from the hospital?"

"No," Matt answered truthfully and then said quickly, "It was one of those guys who wanted to sell us something. I know how you hate them, so I'm just going to erase it."

He leaned back over to hit the 'erase' button, but the surgeon intercepted his action by grabbing his hand. Matt was a really bad liar and she was no idiot. Having a son who was a bad liar was a blessing and Katie could always see right through him.

Like right now.

"Why don't you let me judge for myself?" she asked, holding onto his hand.

"You don't want to..." Matt began to protest, but was cut off by Michael Stevenson's voice coming into the room and repeating the message that had just been played. The 10 year old immediately looked down at the floor as his mother listened to the message. When it ended, he didn't dare look up...he knew she would be mad.

And she was.

"Look at me," she demanded of him.

He did as he was commanded and looked up into his mother's angry glare. Katie leaned back against the arm of the sofa, crossed her arms over her chest, and raised her eyebrow at her son as she said tightly, "This had better be good."

"What?" Matt mumbled, avoiding her accusatory gaze.

"The reason that you just lied to me," she answered sharply.

"I didn't..."

"Would you like for me to play back the message from Mr. Stevenson that you just told me was from a telemarketer?" Katie asked, cutting off his protests before he got himself into any more trouble. "Because most cops I know would call that rock-solid evidence in case against you. So, do you want to try answering my question again...with the truth this time."

She continued to glare at him while she waited for him to answer. When he remained silent, she said icily, "Matthew, you just got rescued from being grounded...do you really want to have it happen all over again?"

"No." He muttered, still not looking up at her.

"Then tell me what's going on," Kate repeated. "Why did you just lie to me about this message?"

Matt shrugged, knowing that wasn't going to get him anywhere. The mother and son stood in the living room in silence for what seemed like eternity, both too stubborn to give up any ground. Finally, the ten year old looked up at her and admitted softly, "I don't want you to go out to dinner with Mac's friend."

"Well, newsflash little man..." Katie answered sarcastically. "You don't get a vote. I'll have dinner with whoever I want to have dinner with."

"So have dinner with Commander Steve."

"I just did," Katie reminded him pointedly. "We had lunch or dinner or whatever meal that was, we rode go-karts, and then we had shave ice for dessert. You were there."

"So now you have to have dinner without me there."

"I don't have to..." Katie began, but then stopped. She studied him for a moment and then stood up and let out a long breath. "Sit down." she said, gesturing to the couch. "Before this nonsense goes any farther, you and I are going to have a little chat." Matt did as he was told and sat down on the couch. As she sat next to him, Katie began, "I know that you like Steve and that is okay with me. But that doesn't mean he's going to become my boyfriend."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want him to," she explained gently. "I'm sorry if that's not what you want, but that's the way I feel. And you have to stop trying to play matchmaker for the two of us."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Katie said with a soft smile, "And I know because I used to do it with your uncles and it drove them crazy." She took his hand and said quietly, "I know that it's hard to grow up without your dad around, but you can't try and make people feel things that they don't feel about each other."

"What's wrong with Commander Steve?" Matt asked her.

"Nothing…"

"You were laughing with him," he reminded her hopefully. When she raised her eyebrow at him questioningly, Matt said, "While we were having burgers…he made you laugh so hard you almost choked on your shake. And then at the go-karts you kept laughing when you kept running into him. And then…"

"Matt, it takes a lot more than laughter to make a relationship work," Katie interrupted as she leaned back against the sofa cushions and tried to explain, "I know that when you are in fifth grade, a girl can be your girlfriend before you even know her last name. You call each other boyfriend and girlfriend and pass notes and sit together in the cafeteria and all that fun stuff...but it's different with grown ups."

"How?"

"Well, you have to want some of the same things out of life." Looking over at him, Katie added, "And Steve McGarrett and I don't want the same things right now."

"What does that mean?" he asked, wrinkling up his nose.

"It means that *_if_* I had a boyfriend, it would have to be someone who wanted to share his life with me. Someone who would look at things long-term," she tried to explain. "He is a cop…a very good cop. And to do what he does at the level that he does it, you can't really look at the long term. He has to live in the moment, which is great for him. But our life is different and I don't have time to play the games that grown ups sometimes play when they think they like each other..."

"Is this because he has other girlfriends?" Matt interrupted.

"No," Katie affirmed. "Like I said, it's his life and he can do what he wants with it. But to be honest, sweetie, I don't want to be just one of his girlfriends...I want to be somebody's only girlfriend. It's just who I am."

"That's what he said," Matt muttered, leaning his head on her arm.

"You talked to him about this?" she asked in surprise.

"Sort of." He looked up at her hopefully and asked, "But what if he gave up all his other girlfriends?"

"He won't do that."

"How do you know?"

"I know," Katie assured him, "Any man who comes into my life is going to become like a father to you...I know you want that. I want that, too. So, I have to be really careful who I choose." She rested her chin on top of his head and inhaled the fresh fragrance of his hair as she said softly, "And I don't want to choose someone who has a job like Commander Steve's."

"Are you afraid that he will die like dad did?"

The surgeon closed her eyes and marveled at how quickly her child could cut to the heart of the matter. Sighing, she answered honestly, "Yes, Matty. I am very afraid of that. As a trauma surgeon, there is never a lack of patients rolling through the doors and along with the usual emergencies—the car accidents, the heart attacks, the work injuries—the ER sees a steady stream of victims of violent crimes. The vast majority of them are young men and some are not a lot older than you. Some of them have been shot multiple times and it's hard for me to forget their insolence and their cold, empty eyes." She hugged him even tighter as she continued, "Patching up these boys so that they can return to the streets and the same violence is heart wrenching and I pray with every surgery, that this time they would learn something, that this time they would find a new life. And then one night, it was Commander Steve that was on my table. With all of his training and all of the protection that his team gives him, one of those guys got to him. And that scares me. I'm glad that Commander Steve and his team are out there protecting us, but it does scare me that something bad could happen to him every day that he goes to work. I went through that once already, sweetheart, with your dad. And I just…I can't live that way again, Matty. No even for you."

"But he's been a SEAL for a long time," Matt reasoned, "And a cop for awhile, too. And he's only been shot once…"

"Once is enough," Katie interrupted, not liking his logic. He was treating being shot way too lightly. So, she added, "And we don't know that he's only been shot once. He's only been shot once that we know of…"

"But he really likes me."

"Yes, he does really like you," Katie assured him with a smile as she thought to herself _'and that scares me, too'_. But out loud she told her son, "But it's different when he's just your friend. Now he can simply drop you off with me at the end of the day and go on about his life. If he had to come home to us on a daily basis, it would be a lot more real to you than it is now."

Matt was silent for a few minutes as he thought about his mother's word before he said, "I think you're wrong."

"Matthew..." Katie laughed quietly, shaking her head as she let him go, "You are too stubborn for you own good." Standing up, she added, "I think Grandma wished this on me...a child who is as stubborn as I am."

Matt grinned and asked, "Can I ask you something else?"

"Is it about Steve?"

"Yes."

Katie sighed and said, "What?"

"If Commander Steve gave up his other girlfriends and was more careful at being a cop and wanted all that stuff that you want...would you like him to be your boyfriend?"

"Matt..." Katie cried in exasperation. "Can we just drop this?"

"He likes you!" her son told her. "And you like him. I heard you laughing."

"Lots of people make me laugh," she informed him.

"No they don't." he said softly, looking up at her in all of his ten year old earnestness. "Not like Commander Steve made you laugh."

She studied his handsome, little face for a few minutes before she changed the subject and said, "It's time for you to go to bed. Let's go."

"Are you going to go out to dinner with Mac's friend?" he asked, not ready to give up the conversation.

"I might."

"Mom!" he whined. "You can't!"

"Yes I can!" she mimicked him, pointing at the stairs. "Now, go!"

"But if you go out with Mac's friend, Commander Steve will think that you have a new boyfriend don't want to go out to dinner with him," Matt reasoned, standing up with a pout.

"And Commander Steve would be right," Katie answered, "Have you not heard anything I said?"

"But..."

"We are done with this conversation, Matthew James," she cut him off, "Just because you sometimes act like you are forty years old does not mean that you are. You are the child. I am the mother. And I don't always have to explain my choices to you." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek as she commanded again, "Now...child...go to bed!"

As Matt trudged up the stairs, he realized that his mother hadn't really answered his question about liking Commander Steve. Which meant that she didn't say no. Which meant that she probably did like him.

But sometimes his mother...the smartest person he knew...could be really dumb.

And really difficult.

For his plan to get his mother and Commander Steve to fall in love, Matt suddenly realized that he was going to have to call in reinforcements. And he knew exactly who to call.


	18. Chapter 18

_**_**So, it's Super Bowl Sunday here in Giants country and it is definitely a boys holiday in my house! Hubby even does the cooking...his famous chili and wings! All I had to do was organize what everyone else is bringing, order the subs and pizzas, and make sure the house was clean...done, done, and done! So, since I have no desire to watch the full day coverage of the game before the game actually starts, I had some time to myself to get a chapter knocked out before our guests arrive! **_**_

_**I just want to say, I am a proud card carrying member of the strict mommy club. I am not a friend to my children, I am their mother. And there are certain things that I do not tolerate from them...lying and disrespect to adults are at the top of that list. I think that those are Matt's only offenses so far in this fic, so I have written Katie dealing with them as I would. I realize that not everyone is a member of the strict mommy club so Katie may seem a bit harsh, but I think that the reason Matt is such a good kid is because he has such a good mom who keeps him in check. I just wanted to defend my girl here because it is such a personal matter to me. For those of you who love Katie and her relationship with Matt as much as I do, thanks so much! I think fans of Matt will love this chapter and the next one...I only have part of it written, bus so far it is shaping up to be one of my absolute faves! But give me a day or so to perfect it! Until then, please enjoy the mother/son/Steve goodness in this chapter...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen - Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me A Match<strong>

"_Laugh when you can,_

_apologize when you should,_

_and let go of what you can't change._

_Life's too short to be anything... but happy."_

~ Anonymous

_The next Friday night…_

"Why am I lying to your mother again?"

Matt Giordano sat huddled in the far corner of his bedroom as he fiercely whispered into the telephone so that his mother wouldn't hear the conversation he was having. Shaking his head at his Aunt Malia's inability to remember the plan, he answered, "Because mom set up a date with that accountant guy for tonight."

"Good," Malia said with a smile on the other end of the line, wondering why her best friend hadn't mentioned that little piece of information at work earlier. But then realizing that Matt had asked her and Chin over for dinner on this very same night, she changed her tune and asked, "Not good?"

"Not good at all," Matt affirmed.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like accountants."

Malia frowned into the phone as she asked, "Do you even know what an accountant is?"

Matt shrugged and answered, "It's not a Navy SEAL and that's all that matters to me."

"Ah…I'm guessing that is the reason that you had me invite Steve to this little dinner party that you planned?" Malia asked, raising her eyebrow and getting a clearer sense of where this conversation was going. Grinning in amusement, Malia informed her little friend gently, "I hate to break this to you, Matty boy, but your mom doesn't even like being in the same room as Steve McGarrett."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Matt mumbled and then into the phone he said, "Yes she does."

"Well, then she is very good at hiding it."

"They're friends now," Matt told Malia matter of factly, "He makes her laugh."

"He does?" She asked again in surprise. But this time it was a different kind of surprise. A pleasant surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I heard them," Matt told her, realizing that he had just peaked his aunt's interest, "He came to my football game last Saturday and then we went out for burgers at Teddy's. And then they took me to the boardwalk to play arcade games and ride go-karts and then..."

"Your mom went to dinner and the boardwalk with Steve?" Malia repeated, still in a state of shock and wondering how this hadn't come up in conversation all week long, "Why did he come to the game?"

"Because he's my friend."

"Oh."

"He likes me," Matt continued, "And I like him."

"And so you want him and your mom to like each other?" Malia surmised quietly. When Matt didn't answer right away, she added gently, "But Matty, it doesn't always work that way. I mean your mom and Steve are two very different people and..."

"And she doesn't want him to be her boyfriend because he has a dangerous job," Matt finished for her, "I know."

"And how do you know that?"

"Mom told me."

"You discussed this with your mom?" Malia asked. This conversation was full of surprises.

"Yeah," Matt answered flatly. "But I think she's wrong about Commander Steve. I mean, Uncle Chin is a cop and you are going to marry him. That's why I need your help."

"Matt, my situation with Chin is very different from what your mom has been through. And, I learned a long time ago that once your mom has made a decision that she doesn't easily change her mind..."

"Do you think she's wrong about Commander Steve?" he asked, interrupting her explanation.

Malia took a deep breath and then admitted, "Yes."

"And you think they like each other?" Matt asked, the excitement beginning to build inside of him.

"I think he likes her," his mother's best friend admitted, "And I think she is trying very hard not to like him, but..."

"So, you'll help me?"

"Matt..."

He could hear that she was hedging a bit, so he pulled out the big guns and reminded her, "You should have heard her laugh, Aunt Malia. It was great. She was really happy. You want her to be happy, don't you?"

The pediatrician melted at his words as she whispered, "That's all I want for her. That's what I want for the both of you."

"So help me."

Malia let out a long breath and then asked slowly, "Okay...what do you want me to do?"

"Just call the house tonight after Commander Steve is already here and tell my mom that you and Uncle Chin can't come over for dinner," the ten year old told her in an excited whisper, confident that his plan couldn't fail, "That way the dinner will already be made and Commander Steve will already be here and…"

"And they will have no choice but to have a romantic dinner together?" Malia finished for him, "I have to say, I do like the way your mind works. Okay," she relented slowly, "I told Steve to be at your house by seven o'clock…"

Matt checked the alarm clock next to his bed and said, "This is going to be great."

"I hope so," Malia said, letting out a deep breath, "And let's just hope that she doesn't get too mad at either of us."

"She won't yell at me in front of Commander Steve," Matt said knowingly. "But we had better make sure she has a good time at dinner or I'm a goner."

Malia chuckled and said, "Well, good luck Matty. Call me later tonight and tell me what happened."

"Okay," he agreed, "Thanks, Aunt Malia."

"Anytime, kiddo."

Matt hung up the phone with a sense of triumph and scrambled up off the floor. Heading down the hall, he stopped by the open doorway of his mother's bedroom and paused for a moment. He looked inside with a grin and watched as Katie added the finishing touches to her make up and took a step back to admire herself in the full length mirror. Smoothing down her dress, Katie twirled gracefully as she smiled at her appearance.

"You look really pretty, mom." Matt said quietly, trying not to startle her, "I like that dress."

For her dinner with Chin and Malia, Katie had opted for an eye catching red dress with spaghetti straps which clung to her every curve, falling just below her knees. Long, tousled curls framed her face as she applied another lashing of lusciously dark mascara. Sliding her eyes over to where her son was standing, she smiled and asked, "It's not too fancy for dinner in the dining room?"

Matt shook his head and reiterated, "You look good. Really good."

"Thank you, son," Katie said, opening her eyes wide to keep from smudging her newly applied mascara. "It feels nice to dress up every once in awhile. My scrubs might be comfortable, but they certainly aren't fashionable." Picking out a pair of garnet earrings and matching necklace to accentuate the outfit, she smiled at her precocious offspring and said, "Having Chin and Malia over for a fancy dinner tonight was a pretty good idea you had. I do wish that you had checked with me before you invited them though, because I had other plans for the evening."

"Really?" Matt asked innocently, coming to sit on her bed and watch her get ready.

"Yes, really," the surgeon replied with a knowing look, "You know that I had a date with Mr. Stevenson tonight and don't you dare deny it."

"How was I supposed to know that?"

Accepting his argument, Katie decided to drop it for now as she answered, "Well, anyway…hanging out with my best friends will probably be a lot more fun than an awkward first date anyway. But I did reschedule with Mr. Stevenson for next weekend, so don't even plan on sabotaging that."

"I don't think I'm going to have to," he replied quietly to himself with a grin.

Katie slid her feet into her favorite pair of strappy heels and checked her appearance once more before joining Matt in the doorway of her bedroom as she said, "Well, let's go check on the chicken. Chin and Malia will be here any minute."

Matt smiled knowingly, but remained silent as he followed his mother down the stairs and into the kitchen. He watched as she peered into the upper oven to check on the chicken and vegetables, which were roasting to golden, juicy perfection. When she bent over to check on the garlic roasted potatoes in the lower oven, Matt glanced at the clock and saw that the seven o'clock hour was approaching fast. He could hardly wait.

"Everything's on schedule," she remarked, turning to face him, "All we need now is our guests."

Matt grinned again at her choice of words, knowing full well that the guest who would be arriving was not exactly who his mother was expecting. But before he could say anything to her, the doorbell rang.

"And there they are," Katie said with a grin. Satisfied that everything was in order, she felt her stomach give an excited little flip as her heels clicked on the hardwood floor of the hallway that led to the front door. She hadn't hosted a dinner party in awhile and she was a little excited to be back in the swing of things. Plus, Chin and Malia had been so busy lately that she barely got to see them. Enjoying a good dinner and a good glass of wine was going to be the perfect remedy for all of their crazy lives. Swinging open the door, Katie prepared to grace her best friends with a beautiful smile.

But the smile immediately left her face when she saw that it was Steve McGarrett...and not Malia and Chin...who was standing on her front porch.

Allowing his eyes to sweep appreciatively and unabashedly over Katie's body in her dress, Steve drew in a quick breath before he greeted her with a sultry, "Well, hello Dr. Giordano."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, ignoring the somersaults that were turning over in her stomach at his approving look. He looked fantastic. Katie realized that he normally looked fantastic, but there was something about a man in dress slacks and a white dress shirt, open at the neck to expose just enough skin, that really took her breath away.

"I'm here for dinner," he informed her, ignoring her rudeness and stepping across the threshold into the house. Holding up the bottle of white wine he had brought with him, he added coolly, "You look great...red is definitely your color."

"What do you mean...you're here for dinner?" Katie asked in surprise, again ignoring his compliment, as her breath steadied. "I didn't invite you to dinner."

"Malia did," Steve answered, a little surprised at her confusion, "Actually, Chin did the inviting but he told me that it was Malia's idea. But I have a feeling that Matt was actually the real source of the invitation."

"Malia's idea? Matt's invitation..."

Katie's confusion was interrupted by a ringing telephone.

"I'll get it!" Matt shouted from the kitchen.

"You will not!" Katie shouted back, turning away from Steve and giving him a few uncensored moments to admire the toned, graceful lines of her back that were exposed by the sexy straps of her dress. "You will get in here and explain why you invited..."

But before she could finish, Matt's voice could be heard saying, "Hello?" and then, "Mom, it's Aunt Malia!"

Katie let out an angry breath and then turned back to glare at Steve as she said, "Stay right there. We are going to deal with this in just a minute."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with an amused grin as he watched her hurry back to the kitchen. Ignoring her instructions, he promptly followed.

"Mal? Hi," Katie said into the phone as Steve wandered into the kitchen and gave Matt a curious look. The ten year old simply shrugged his shoulders innocently and then focused on his mother's conversation. "Oh really? Is he alright?" Katie frowned as she paused to listen to what Malia had to say and then asked, "Well, do you need me to come over and check on him?"

Katie paused again to wait for Malia's response while Steve leaned against the kitchen counter and took another opportunity to admire the good doctor while her attention was focused elsewhere.

He suddenly realized with a grin that red was his new favorite color.

"Okay...well...we'll just get together another night then," Katie was saying and then added, "Hey, wait…did you invite Commander McGarrett to dinner with us?" Katie's smile faded from her face as she listened to whatever her friend was saying on the other end of the line. Turning away from both Matt and Steve, she said quietly into the phone, "We did not need a fourth guest to make it even because Matt made it an even four. I thought we talked about this, Mal. Why would you go and invite him to my house…." Steve grinned as the doctor listened again and then tightly said, "Oh, we are definitely going to talk about this tomorrow. Good night, Malia," before hanging up the phone dejectedly.

"Chin is not feeling well so they are not coming," Katie told her son and then turning to Steve she said sharply, "And I thought I told you to wait in the front hall?"

"But all the action is back here." He shot back and then raised his eyebrow as he said, "But I gotta tell you, Chin seemed fine at work today."

"Matthew James Giordano..." Katie hissed angrily, sensing that her little matchmaker was at it again, "You have two seconds to explain to me why he is here."

"I don't know." Matt mumbled, taking an immediate interest in his shoes, "I didn't invite him! I haven't talked to him since Sunday!"

Katie sucked in a deep breath as she considered the truth of his argument, and Steve used the temporary moment of silence to say quietly, "That's true...Matt did not invite me to dinner. And it is also true that I haven't spoken to him since last weekend."

"I told you that I didn't do it," Matt said stubbornly, but quickly refrained from saying anything else when his mother shot a look over in his direction.

"Something smells good," Steve said with a grin as he wandered over to the oven to peer inside, "Is that a roast chicken?"

"Yeah!" Matt answered, suddenly perking up. "With roasted vegetables and potatoes. My mom makes the best roast chicken. It's Aunt Malia and Uncle Chin's favorite."

"It's my favorite too," he said slyly.

"Want some?" Matt offered, just as Katie hissed, "Matthew!"

"What?" Matt asked, looking innocently up at his mother. "We have plenty...since Aunt Malia and Uncle Chin are not coming."

"Well, maybe Steve has other plans," Katie said tightly, wondering how she was going to get out of this one. Without even trying, her son had managed to get her and Steve McGarrett to have dinner together.

"He's here, isn't he?" Matt reminded his mother, as if she were stupid. Then looking at Steve to confirm, he asked, "We're your only plans...right?"

"Actually," the Commander admitted, "I don't really have anywhere else to be tonight."

"Great," Matt exclaimed, jumping off the stool he was sitting on to open up the refrigerator and added, "Plus she made a tiramisu for dessert! Do you like tiramisu?"

"I do," Steve confirmed, "But I don't think your mom is too keen on having a dinner guest this evening."

"Why?" Matt asked, looking up at his mother and doing a great job with the innocent act. "Commander Steve can just take Aunt Malia and Uncle Chin's place. We set up four plates for dinner so I'll just go put one set of plates back in the china cabinet." And as if the matter were settled, he told Steve excitedly, "I helped set the table...with mom's good china. We only use the good china on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Wanna see the table?"

"Matt..." Katie began, but took one look at his excited little face and decided not to even bother. Her dinner plans were ruined, but apparently Matt's evening had just gotten a little better.

"Mom, he's here," Matt reminded her, stopping short before heading into the dining room. "And we have lots of food. It would be rude to make him go home when he's standing right here already."

"It would be sort of rude," Steve chimed in, enjoying every moment of the gorgeous brunette's discomfort, "Especially since I just told you that roast chicken is one of my favorites."

Katie shot him one of those looks that she usually reserved for Matt, but it only made Steve's grin widen. Shaking her head, she looked back at her son. He was practically bursting at the seams at this new turn of events. Finally the doctor realized that there was no way of getting out of asking Steve to stay for dinner.

"Would you like to do the honors of opening the wine?" she offered half-heartedly and both Matt and Steve knew that she had just conceded.

"Yay!" Matt yelped, shooting his fist into the air. "Commander Steve is staying for dinner."

"I feel so welcome," Steve joked, raising his eyebrow at Matt's reaction. "Like a rock star."

Katie quickly took the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that he had brought with him and set it out on the counter between them. Pulling out a corkscrew and handing it to him, she drawled, "Here...make yourself useful while I have a quick word with my son."

Before Matt could respond, his mother was ushering him quickly into the nearby living room and saying in a hushed voice, "I need you to remember what we talked about the other night before this goes any further, little man."

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked, honestly confused this time.

"About playing matchmaker for me and Commander McGarrett," she reminded him, "Just because he is staying for dinner does not mean that he is going to be my boyfriend."

"But..."

"No _'buts'_!" Katie interrupted fiercely. "I don't know how this happened tonight, but it doesn't change anything about what I said the other night."

"Fine," Matt said, silently planning to ignore his mother's words, "It's just dinner."

"Because we have too much food," Katie reiterated, feeling the need to make excuses for her decision to let Steve stay, "And because he's standing in the kitchen."

"Right," Matt agreed, biting back a smile as he repeated, "Because we have too much food and Commander Steve's standing in the kitchen."

She looked down at him and began to wonder if this evening really was a coincidence after all. But Matt interrupted her thoughts as he said, "Hey mom...I think Commander Steve really likes your dress." He grinned up at her and said, "Good choice."

"What?" Katie asked, looking down and realizing that she was still in the clothes she had chosen to spend the evening with her friends, "Oh." Glancing at her son, she asked without thinking, "You really think he likes it?" When Matt nodded, she asked, "How can you tell?"

"He keeps looking at you," Matt told her with a wink. "He can't take his eyes off of you."

Katie felt an unexpected shiver go up her spine at those words, but she quickly told Matt, "Well, that doesn't matter because this isn't a date. It's just..."

"Dinner." Matt supplied, heading back into the kitchen with a knowing smile. "It's just dinner."


	19. Chapter 19

_**I think just about everybody gets what they want in this chapter! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen – Love and Other Complicated Things<strong>

_"_ _I let it fall, my heart,_

_And as it fell you rose to claim it_

_It was dark and I was over_

_Until you kissed my lips and you saved me_

_My hands, they're strong_

_But my knees were far too weak_

_To stand in your arms_

_Without falling to your feet."_

~ Adele

_Twenty minutes later…_

"So," Steve said smugly, rubbing his hands together as they entered the dining room, "are you ready to impress me with your culinary skills?"

Smirking back at him, Katie simply replied. "Impress you? McGarrett, this meal is going to knock your socks right off. In fact, you may never be able to find them again." Looking down at her son, she added slyly, "Matt, maybe you should tell our guest about the house rule."

"House rule?" Steve repeated, looking at the mother and son duo questioningly.

Matt promptly recited, "If one person cooks, the other person has to clean up..."

"What?" Steve asked, looking over at Matt in mock surprise, "You are going to make me clean up?"

"Women have been doing it for centuries, Commander," Katie informed him, pleased that the smug look had disappeared from his face when she told him about the clean up, "So, it wouldn't kill a man to do it for just one night."

"But I'm the guest," he protested as Matt stood by and enjoyed the entire scene, "And a guy."

"So?"

"Guys don't..."

"Don't you dare finish that statement in front of my son!" Katie warned, biting back a grin. "And for your information...real men *_do_* cook and clean." She met his eyes and then added playfully, "It's sexy."

"Cooking and cleaning are sexy?" Steve repeated lamely. "I don't think so."

"So, it's just something that women are supposed to do?" the surgeon asked, baiting him. "And I'm guessing you subscribe to the 'barefoot and pregnant' theory as well?"

"I never said that!"

"That's what it sounded like to me."

Steve looked over at Matt and asked, "You wanna give me a hand here?"

Matt's eyes darted to his mother and then back to Steve. He held up his hands in surrender and said, "Sorry, Commander Steve. I've heard her have this argument before and I learned not to say a word."

"Good choice, sweetheart," Katie smiled, thankful that Matt had taken her side against the Navy SEAL for once in their brief history, "And for that, you get extra dessert."

Matt smiled triumphantly up at his new friend and with a shake of her head, several glossy curls fell over Katie's bare shoulders as she headed back to the kitchen. Steve's ocean colored eyes were on her the whole way there.

A fact that did not escape Matt's attention. His plan was definitely working.

Sliding his eyes back to focus on the ten year old, the Commander muttered, "I can't believe you sold me out for a little extra dessert."

"That's because you never tasted my mom's tiramisu," the ten year old in question told him pointedly, "I'll do anything to get more of that stuff."

"But we're guys..."

"And she's my mom," Matt reminded him, "She controls my allowance and my bedtime and my punishments."

Steve considered this for a moment and then grinned at him and said, "Good point."

Matt chuckled as Katie called to him from the kitchen, "Matt, come bring the salad and the potatoes to the table so that we can eat."

"I'll help," Steve offered, following Matt into the kitchen. He picked up the plate of potatoes, Matt grabbed the bowl of salad, and they followed Katie and her platter of chicken and roasted vegetables back into the dining room.

"Everything looks really delicious," Steve remarked, taking his seat at the table across from Matt, "I am prepared to be impressed."

"You will be," Matt assured him as he took a large spoonful of roasted potatoes, "My mom's a great cook. She's great at pretty much everything."

"I'm beginning to believe that," Steve said, as Katie poured him some more wine.

"Be careful you two," the doctor teased playfully, "the wine and the compliments will go straight to my head. And then I'll be unbearable to live with."

The meal started off much more amicably than Katie could have ever imagined and Steve was quite charming. He listened intently to all of Matt's stories about growing up in the craziness of the James-Giordano clan, and then shared a few stories of his own about his childhood in Hawaii with his sister. Matt looked at him in complete awe and hung on every word as if Steve McGarrett were the king of the universe. And when the Commander revealed that he was a closet Harry Potter fan...the deal was sealed. Matt loved Harry Potter and Katie couldn't help smiling as she listened to the two of them discuss Hogwarts and it's infamous characters.

Things were going along so smoothly, in fact, that halfway through the meal Steve reached over and speared a potato from the brunette's plate and ate it as she watched with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed expression. Seconds later, her fork snaked across the table and stabbed a piece of chicken off his plate. As she chewed, she couldn't help the grin that was spreading across her face. Steve began to grin as well and soon they were both laughing.

He'd purposefully stolen the potato from her plate to provoke her. And he'd gotten the smile he was hoping to see. Her laughter was infectious and stealing a bite off her plate had seemed so natural.

"Mom, did you tell Commander Steve about the golfers yet?" Matt asked with a grin before he shoved a forkful of carrots into his mouth

"No, I didn't."

Looking over at Steve, the ten year old grinned and said with a mouthful, "It's a really good story. One of my favorites."

"What happened?" Steve asked, completely intrigued.

"It turns out I have a bit of a temper when I'm pushed," she began and then had to laugh when Steve raised his eyebrow at her as he gave her a knowing look. With a smile, she conceded, "I'm not proud of that."

"No, you kept your cool," Matt interjected, reaching over to take a sip of his water, "It was that jerk we were with who lost his temper." Unable to wait for his mother to tell the story, he looked at Steve and said, "See, here's what happened...Mom was dating this jerky guy and he took us out to Kobe Steakhouse in Waikiki. When we got there, there were these four old guys sitting at a table across the restaurant from us. They were loud and seemed like they were having a lot of fun…"

"They weren't that old," his mother interjected, "Probably in their mid-fifties."

"When you're ten, that's kind of old," Steve pointed out.

Katie laughed and explained, "All of them had ordered steaks and I happened to look over just as one of the golfers took a bite of his steak. The man stuffed a piece the size of a small roast into his mouth. I couldn't believe it," she added. "I watched him, hoping he'd keep chewing."

"But he didn't," Matt said, grinning.

"I'm guessing the steak didn't melt in his mouth," Steve speculated with a grin.

"No, it didn't," Katie continued, "He swallowed and, of course, began to choke. He tried to stand, then crashed to the floor…"

"And all of his friends started shouting for help and yelling that their friend was having a heart attack!" Matt added and Steve couldn't help grinning because the youngster's enthusiasm was comical.

Katie continued, "My date, Dr. Dwight Parish, said, 'I've got this,' and ran over to the golfer, whose name I later found out was Chuck…"

"Chuck the Choker is what we call him now," Matt added with a laugh.

"What did you do?" Steve asked Katie.

"I started the clock the second Chuck tried to swallow the meat—"

The Commander interrupted by asking, "What do you mean, you started the clock?"

"Oxygen deprivation," she explained, "There was plenty of time, but I always start the clock, which means I note the time down to the second. And then Dwight announces to the whole restaurant that he's a doctor and he kneels down beside Chuck and starts pushing his chest, giving him CPR. He, too, believed Chuck was having a heart attack…"

Matt interrupted again as she said, "Dr. Dwight the dummy acted like he was running a class or something, talking to the crowd while he pumped Chuck's chest…"

"Matthew…" his mother warned, giving him a look about calling an adult a dummy.

"Then what happened?"

"I tried to explain to Dwight that the man was choking," Katie told Steve, but that was all she could say before Matt jumped in again.

"Yeah, she did," the 10 year old agreed, "I stood beside her. She was real nice about it, but the dum-…I mean, Dr. Dwight…wouldn't listen, even after she told him she'd seen Chuck try to swallow a hunk of meat. He was too busy dazzling the crowd to pay attention."

"And all that pumping didn't dislodge the meat, did it?" Steve guessed with a smirk and then asked, "Had anyone called nine-one-one?"

"Oh yeah, of course," Matt told him as if that weren't an important part of the situation and then urged his mother, "So tell him what happened next."

"I was watching the time," she said, "And I politely asked Dwight to get out of my way."

The leader of Five-0 raised his eyebrow at her again because there was something about the way she made the comment that told him she wasn't quite telling the truth. Chuckling, he asked, "Politely, huh?"

"I thought so."

"Before you go on, tell me, what kind of doctor is Dwight?"

"He had just finished his residency…"

"In what field?"

"Psychiatry."

"Ah," Steve said, smiling.

"It's an important and difficult residency," Katie told him, not quite sure why she suddenly felt the need to defend Dwight, "However, Dwight has a Superman complex and was determined to revive the golfer. If he had had paddles, he would have tried to shock him. I say 'try' because I wouldn't have let him."

"Dwight sounds like a jackass," Steve commented and Matt nodded vigorously in agreement, "Okay, so go on," he urged, caught up in the story, but before she could continue, he asked, "Weren't you a little worried? What if you couldn't get the meat out?"

Kate looked astonished, as though she couldn't understand why he'd ask such a silly question. Cocking her head to the side, she continued, "There was still plenty of time, and I had a backup plan. Clean steak knife, alcohol. If I had to, I'd open his throat. I wasn't going to let him die. All of what Matt and I have told you took less than a minute," she added. "It sounds like a lot was going on, but it happened really fast. I explained that the man was choking, but Dwight continued to argue that I was wrong, that it was a heart attack. He said he knew the symptoms. He was once again talking more to the crowd than to me, and it was difficult to get a word in."

"But mom found a way…" Matt added, looking at his mother as though she was a superhero.

"I'm a trauma surgeon," Katie reminded Steve and reached over to tousle her adoring son's hair, "And we are trained to take charge. We're . . . aggressive when we need to be. I tried to explain to Dwight but he just wouldn't listen, so I did what I had to do . . ."

Matt finished proudly for her, "She used her foot and knocked Dwight out of the way. He landed halfway across the room!"

"Another customer helped me get Chuck upright, then I dislodged the meat and pulled it out of his throat. All the while I'm checking the clock. It was all good," Katie said, "I still had plenty of time."

"I wanted to throw the meat at Dwight, but she wouldn't let me," Matt grumbled and Steve had to stifle the grin that came to his lips.

"And Chuck?" he asked.

"No worse for the wear."

Steve then asked, "Did good old Dwight ask you out on another date?"

"Like I would go?" The surgeon shook her head and explained, "Since I had had my fingers down Chuck's throat, I went to the ladies' room to wash my hands, and when I came back to the table, Dwight had taken off."

"What a gentleman."

"But mom and I got free soda and desserts from the owner of the restaurant, so that made up for it!" Matt added with a grin before shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth.

As the evening wore on, Steve asked many more questions about her work. It was obvious that she had a real passion for helping people, and he loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about them.

"It must be stressful at times," he commented.

"It is," Matt answered, as if he were the surgeon instead of the 5th grader, "But what about you? Your job has to be full of stress."

"Sometimes," Steve admitted. He smiled and added, "And then there are those criminals who all but capture themselves. One of my first cases as a 5-0 I barely had to investigate."

"What do you mean?" both Matt and Katie asked at the same time.

Steve put down his fork and leaned back in his chair as he began, "It was a robbery of a neighborhood bank, a one-man job. I don't think the robber had much experience, though. When he walked into the bank with a cap pulled down over his eyes and a gun concealed in his pocket, he found the lobby crowded with customers. He was so nervous, he decided he should wait until they had cleared out before going up to the teller to make his demands. But he didn't want to look suspicious just milling around the bank doing nothing, so he went to a table with some forms stacked on top." He shook his head at the memory and then told them, "In the surveillance tapes, you could see him pick up the pen and start writing on one of the forms. He must have been pretty distracted because, after he finally made it to the teller and got away with the cash, he didn't think to pick up the forms he had been filling out."

"What were they?" Katie asked with interest.

"Applications for a job."

"No," she said incredulously.

"Yep," he said. "He wrote down his name, address . . . everything we needed to drive to his house and pick him up."

"I can't believe anyone would be that stupid."

He nodded agreement and then said, "Another time we caught this case where a guy went into a convenience store to rob it. He got the money from the cash register and then demanded the clerk hand over a bottle of whiskey, too. Out of habit, the clerk asked to see some form of ID, and . . ."

"He gave him his ID," Katie finished, rolling with laughter.

"That's right."

"So sometimes your job is funny instead of dangerous," Matt deduced with a laugh, looking knowingly at his mother before he pleaded, "Tell us another one."

"I've got a hundred of them, but just one more," Steve said, not sure what to make of the kid's comment, "It's my favorite. There was this one guy who tried to rob a bank. He carried a grocery bag to use as a mask to conceal his identity. His ingenious plan was to put it over his head, then throw the front door of the bank open and rush in. He'd cut holes in the bag for his eyes but evidently hadn't tried it out because, when he put it on, the holes lined up with his forehead. On the tape, you see the guy come barging into the bank with a bag over his head, waving his gun and turning in circles, trying to get the tellers to give him the cash." With a grin, he explained, "He was threatening a potted plant."

Steve liked the way Katie's eyes sparkled when she laughed at his stories. She looked younger and more carefree and he was glad he was there to witness it. Still chuckling, Katie reached for the bottle of wine at the same time as Steve and their hands met. When she felt his hand brush hers, the surgeon drew in a breath as a warm fuzzy, feeling spread through her. Steve smoothly refilled both of their glasses and raised his for a sip. Katie grabbed her wine glass and took an overly large gulp, hoping he couldn't see the blush she was sure she wore...judging by the burn in her cheeks. Catching his amused expression, she looked down at her plate and concentrated on her uneaten salad.

But, truth be told, the Commander hadn't been prepared for the feelings that assailed him when their hands met. Feeling her hand, soft and silky, had made his heart race and he'd been a little disappointed when she pulled it away. The flush in her cheeks and the gulp of wine stunned him into the realization that she felt the same way, despite all of her statements to the contrary. Steve reveled in this new knowledge as the meal continued. The conversation was amicable and light throughout the rest of dinner, and both adults avoided talking about what had just happened as Matt rambled on about school and football and that little British wizard.

After a dessert that was just as delicious as the dinner, Matt looked up at Steve and asked, "Do you want to see my room? I've got lots of neat Harry Potter stuff."

Steve grinned and looked at Katie as he remarked, "I heard this nasty rumor that I have to do the dishes."

Loving to see her son so happy and animated, Katie smiled back at the two guys and quipped, "The dishes will be here for you when you come back down."

"Thanks," Steve said sarcastically, putting down his empty coffee cup and following Matt up the stairs. Up in the youngster's room, sitting on the bed as the little boy eagerly showed off his favorite possessions, Steve's eye fell on a framed photograph sitting on the table next to Matt's bed. He picked it up and looked down at it as he asked quietly, "Is this Jimmy?"

Matt turned to look at the photo of his father in Steve's hands and smiled proudly as he said, "Yep...that's him."

"Is this the only picture you have of him?"

"Nope," Matt said, pulling a leather bound photo album out of his nearby desk drawer. "My mom and dad made this when she was pregnant with me...right before he died. Do you want to see it?"

"Can I?" Steve asked carefully and Matt nodded as he put the album in the SEAL's hands.

Silently, the Commander and Matt flipped through page after page covered with photos of Jimmy Giordano with various familiar and unfamiliar faces. And under each photo were handwritten notes from Katie and Jimmy, recalling the events portrayed in the photo and other special memories.

"Your dad was a popular guy," Steve remarked as he looked down at a picture of his old friend with the guys of SEAL Team 2 on a fishing expedition.

"Everybody loved him," Matt answered quietly, "Especially my mom."

"Yeah," McGarrett agreed, running his finger gently over a photo of Jimmy and Katie all dressed up on the day of their wedding. They looked so young and happy...and in love. Setting the album beside him on the bed, Steve looked at his young friend and said, "Tonight's dinner wasn't really a coincidence, was it?"

Matt looked up at him and pasted his innocent face back on as he asked, "What?"

"Come off it, Matt," Steve said, patting the space next to him on the bed, "Your mom and I are not idiots. I don't know exactly how it happened, but something tells me that this evening ended up just the way you planned it."

"The evening is not over yet," Matt reminded him, coming to sit next to him.

"Matt," Steve prodded. "I'm a cop...I don't believe in coincidences."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how funny it was that your Uncle Chin just happened to get a sudden illness on the same evening that Malia invited me over here to your house for dinner," he raised his eyebrow at the boy and added, "Especially when he was feeling fine when he left the Five-0 offices earlier this evening."

"Yeah, that was kind of funny," Matt said, looking back down at his photo album.

"I've known your Aunt Malia for some time now and I know that she would do anything for the people that she loves," he nudged the little boy with his shoulder and added, "Anything...like trick your mother into having dinner with me because you asked her to."

Matt, knowing that he was busted, looked up at Steve and asked, "Are you mad?"

The cop chuckled and answered honestly, "No. I'm actually flattered that you like me enough to set me up with your mom. But..."

"Did you have a good time?" Matt interrupted, knowing that nothing good ever comes after the word '_but'_.

"Yes," he admitted. "I had a very good time. But..."

"If you and my mom fell in love," Matt said quickly, avoiding another '_but'_, "then you could have dinner over here every night. She makes other stuff besides chicken, you know? She makes good spaghetti and..."

"Matt," Steve said in a firm, but gentle voice. "You need to stop right there."

"Why?"

"Because you can't make your mom and I fall in love."

"Why not?"

"Because love is too important to force on people," the Commander informed his young friend, "It has to happen naturally between two people who really care about each other and want to share their life and their dreams..."

"Don't you care about my mom?" Matt asked, not having to force the innocent act that time.

"I like your mom very much," Steve told him. "She's smart and she's funny and..."

"She's beautiful," Matt added, "I know you thought she looked beautiful in her dress. You kept looking at her when she wasn't paying attention."

"She does look beautiful," he agreed quietly. "She is beautiful. But..."

"Stop saying that!" Matt demanded, suddenly angry. "Stop saying the word '_but'_. It's all you and my mom ever say! Can't you just try to love each other?"

Steve sucked in a deep breath and tried a different tactic. Slowly, he began, "Matt, when you were little did you ever put your arms out and spin really, really fast?"

The ten year old looked a little sheepish as he admitted, "I still do it sometimes. And then I fall down in the grass."

The former SEAL chuckled and continued, "Well, that's what love is like. It makes your heart race and it turns the world upside down. But if you're not careful..if you don't keep your eyes on something still...you can lose your balance." He paused and said, "Your mom doesn't want to lose her balance right now."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"No," Steve admitted.

"Then how do you know...?"

"I've seen it," he interrupted Matt's inevitable question. "I grew up with it. My mom and dad loved each other very much. They were so happy."

"So how come you don't want to be like that with my mom?"

"Because..." Steve said, then paused and wondered if he should share his deep, dark secrets with a ten year old kid. But that ten year old kid was looking up at him like he had just lost his puppy dog and the Commander figured that he deserved an explanation. So, he started again, "Because when my mom died...when their love was over...a part of my dad died, too. And things got really bad for him. Kind of like what happened to your mom when your dad died. I just don't want either of you to have to go through that."

"But my mom is okay, now." Matt reasoned, a look of complete sadness washing over his adorable features, "And she's been happier since you started hanging out with us."

"Yeah, I know that's what you think she feels. But sometimes adults don't always let people know what's really going on inside. And I think your mom is protecting you by not letting you see how she really feels," Steve said, considering his argument for a moment. He put his arm around Matt and pulled him close as he said, "Feelings like this are complicated. And sometimes it's just easier not to deal with them at all."

"That's kind of dumb," the youngster said, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes.

Steve chuckled and agreed, "I guess it is. But..."

"Don't say that word again," Matt warned, sitting up.

"Okay," The leader of Five-0 agreed with a grin. He paused for a minute to think of the right words and then said, "My mom would think it was dumb, too. She used to always tell me to follow my heart and never look back," he smiled fondly down at Matt and added, "She said that if I did that...then life would be full of happy surprises."

"Your mom sounds as smart as mine."

"She was," Steve mused sadly.

"My mom once told me that even though lots of people spend their whole life searching for love, sometimes the truest love can be where you least expect it." Matt said, looking up at his friend thoughtfully. "That's kind of like what your mom said, right?"

"Yes, it is," he agreed. Tousling Matt's hair, he added, "I guess we should both listen to our mothers more often."

"Maybe my mom should start listening to herself more often," Matt pointed out. "She's the one who is scared."

"Confused," Steve corrected, "We're both just a little confused. And now that I know that a ten year old is smarter at this than I am, I am even more confused."

"Maybe you should talk to my mom, then," Matt said cheekily. "And then you can both figure it out together."

"Maybe I will."

"Now?" he asked hopefully.

Steve chuckled and then sighed deeply as he said, "Right now, I am going downstairs to do the dishes."

"And I'll stay here and give you some privacy," the kid said with a grin. "Good luck."

"Don't get your hopes up," Steve warned. "Your mom and I are both very stubborn people."

"Don't I know it," Matt remarked as the Commander left the room and headed downstairs. He found Matt's mom down in the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist. She had cleared all of the dishes from the table and was preparing to begin washing them.

"I thought I was supposed to do that," he said quietly, trying not to startle her.

The brunette turned and smiled at him and said, "I thought that you and my son were upstairs cooking up a plan to sneak you out of the house without having to do the dishes, so I just decided to do them myself."

"Well, it's a shame to cover up that dress," Steve said quietly as she moved over to the sink.

Katie could feel the pink creeping back up into her cheeks. It had been a long time since a man had complimented her as much as Steve McGarrett did and she was beginning to feel like an awkward teenager again. She had truly believed that part of her life was over.

"So, if you weren't planning to sneak out of the house," the petite doctor said, changing the subject, "what were the two of you talking about up there?"

"You and me," he answered simply.

"You and me?"

"We've been set up."

"I know," Katie admitted with a sigh. She met his eyes and smiled as she said, "He's been at it for awhile now."

"The football game," Steve agreed with a grin. "And the burgers at Teddy's."

"And the go-karts and the boardwalk," she confirmed. "I don't know how Chin and Malia got involved, but..."

"I think that there are many people in this town that would do anything your son asked of them," he informed her with a raised eyebrow.

"And our best friends are at the top of that list," Katie concluded. Absently playing with one of the wine glasses, she told him, "He's got it in his head that you and I should..."

"Fall in love?"

She glanced at him in surprise and quickly said, "Well, I was going to say be boyfriend and girlfriend..."

Steve chuckled and informed her, "He must have stepped up his plans then because your son and I just had a little conversation about love."

"Oh God," she moaned, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he assured her, "The conversation was very...enlightening. He's a smart kid who has a pretty clear outlook on life for someone his age."

"Matt reminds me a lot of Jimmy," Katie informed him quietly, "He's got that beautiful combination of childlike innocence and wisdom beyond his years that his father had. Which I hope is making Jimmy happy because he wanted me to not let anything stand in the way of living life for both of us." She grinned wryly and said, "I think Matt is doing that much better than I am."

"Matt has the luxury of not knowing the things that you know," Steve said quietly, "That probably has a lot to do with it."

"When Jimmy was home and not out on one of his missions, I spent hours watching him sleep," Katie began quietly, "I sat there trying to memorize every last detail from the shape of his face to the way his hands felt in mine. I knew those memories could someday be all that I had left to give to Matty. And to keep for myself." Her voice got emotional as she said, "It's always been me and Matt against the world. But I sometimes wonder if all my baggage hasn't caused him to miss out on some things. My fears still hold me back from so many things...and I get a little over-protective."

"Really?" he asked teasingly, "I hadn't noticed."

She nodded her head and chuckled wryly as she looked back at him, "I'm not the same girl you would have met eleven years ago. The girl who ran off and married a guy she had only known for forty eight hours without ever thinking of what was going to come next."

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked with a grin, going along with her sudden conversation change. "But I have a feeling that girl would have been a lot less fascinating."

"Fascinating?" Katie asked, glad to be back on the safe ground of verbal sparring. The emotional connection she was beginning to feel towards Steve McGarrett was leaving her more than a little unsettled. "Is that the new code word for rude, sarcastic, stressed out, and celibate?"

"How long has it been, Giordano?" he challenged, enjoying her reaction.

"That is none of your business," Katie exclaimed, trying to keep her voice light but he could see her stiffen a little bit. Was it out of embarrassment? He was going to have to handle this one lightly.

"That long?" Steve teased with a laugh. "Now that is unexpected."

"Why?"

"Come on, Katie," he chided. "You are a beautiful woman who is..."

"Who is an overworked, overly cautious, single mother," Katie finished for him, not joking anymore. "Trust me...I come with more baggage than most men want to even think about unpacking."

"Most men are idiots," he told her honestly.

"I agree with you there."

"I'm not an idiot," Steve informed her in a low, sultry voice as he moved closer to where she was standing and then added, "I'm actually quite fond of your baggage."

The sincerity in his voice suddenly brought Katie crashing back to earth and she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Steve McGarrett was dangerous for her. He was just charming enough to get past her defenses and just sincere enough for her to begin trusting him.

"Besides, all of those things you just said are excuses, not reasons," he continued, his eyes zeroing in on her luscious lips and pink cheeks, "What about friends with benefits . . . you know . . . casual sex?"

The question surprised her and she shook her head, unconsciously taking a step back from him as she said, "No, so far not interested. Some of my friends have sex with friends, and they tell me it releases a lot of stress. It just seems a little too cold and clinical to me." Realizing that the moment was becoming entirely too intimate, Katie threw a dish towel at him and stated lightly, "I can't believe you just did that."

"What?"

"Broke your promise to Matt."

When Steve looked at her in confusion, she looked up and explained, "You told me that he was playing matchmaker again tonight. That was one of his secrets, right? And didn't you promise not to reveal any of his secrets to me?"

"I guess I did," he said softly, suddenly realizing that he had moved so close to her that he could smell the sweet, clean scent that was distinctly Katie Giordano. In a low voice, he added, "But if you don't tell him, then you and I will have a secret."

"Who says that I want to have a secret with you?" Katie asked softly, suddenly acutely aware of his nearness. She tried to take a step back, but realized that the counter was behind her and she had nowhere to go. She was trapped.

"Secrets can be fun."

His voice was low and sultry and Katie knew that they were in dangerous territory. She felt her breath catch in her throat, but couldn't stop herself from saying, "Secrets can be..."

"Why do you always have to argue with me?" He asked as he focused his attention on her lips, which suddenly seemed too full and pouty for their own good. "Life would be so much easier if you and I were on the same side for a change."

She looked up at him to say something in response, but whatever it was died on her lips. His eyes locked with hers and everything just froze. The surgeon suddenly found herself very nervous and gasped ever so slightly. Steve was looking so deeply into her eyes that Katie was sure he could see her heart beating. He'd never noticed before how bottomless her brown eyes could look. He brought his face close to hers, watching her eyes for any sign of acceptance or refusal. She just returned his gaze evenly. Steve decided to take this as acceptance and closed his eyes as he covered the small distance left between them.

Katie was so stunned by it all that she just let herself surrender to him. His lips were so soft and tender, yet she could sense a strength, a barely reserved power, behind them. She opened her mouth to him slightly and he kissed her hungrily, with a passion that seemed to startle them both. She sighed when his tongue swept inside and rubbed against hers. His touch was electrifying. And that was only the beginning. Steve wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him as his mouth slanted over hers again and again.

But much too soon, the Commander felt her pull away from the pressure of their kiss and he opened his eyes to look at her. She opened her eyes and was still registering everything that happened when he felt her shift suddenly. His hands were still clasped firmly around her waist so when Katie moved to step away from him, she couldn't.

"Steve..." she said softly, trying to recapture the breath he had kissed out of her. "I think you need to go."

"I don't think so," he murmured softly, moving in to nuzzle her neck as he planted his hands against the counter on either side of her. "Damn, you taste good."

His voice was raspy. Steve kissed the side of her neck and felt her shiver. She put her arms around his neck and her fingers tugged on his hair to get him to kiss her again. He overwhelmed her, and it was wonderful as he kissed her again…a hot, wet, openmouthed kiss that made her want much, much more, and when he pulled back she felt dazed.

"Do you still want me to leave?" he asked. He tilted her chin up with his thumb, needing to see her eyes and hear her say the words before he started tearing his clothes off and then hers.

She kissed the pulse at the base of his neck as she whispered, "Matt is right upstairs..."

And then Steve's cell phone rang a scant second before Katie's phone beeped. The Commander took a deep breath, then reluctantly pulled away from her to answer the call as Katie found her phone in her purse and read the text.

"I'm on my way," he said into his phone. He ended the call and looked up to see Katie dialing her own phone as he said, "There's been a shooting at the hospital."

At the same time she told him, "I've been called in to surgery."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – All in A Night's Work**

_"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world, remains and is immortal."_

~Albert Pine

_Five minutes later…_

After dropping Matt off with a neighbor until her parents could come stay with him, Katie began to ready herself to drive herself to the hospital. But Steve disagreed. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight until he knew what the hell was going on. Ignoring her protests, he grabbed her keys, locked the dead bolts, and pulled her along to his truck.

"I could be in surgery all night," she pointed out, as he graciously opened the passenger side of his truck and then unceremoniously lifted her up to deposit her on the seat.

"I'll wait and drive you home."

"But that could be hours . . ."

"I'll wait."

She stopped arguing, but only because he shut the door and ran around to get in the driver's side. When he did, the set of his jaw indicated he was going to be stubborn. So she gave him directions to a shortcut crossing over the highway, and then she called Lindsay, the ER nurse, to find out what she was going to be walking into.

"It's another pileup on Queen Liliʻuokalani Freeway," Lindsay told her as Katie struggled to hear over the siren blazing from Steve's truck, "We've got mangled bodies on their way in. Dr. Cramer wants you here now."

"I'm on my way," she said and then glanced at Steve as she asked, "I heard there was a shooting."

"Yes, there was, and right inside the emergency room doors," Lindsay replied and Katie could practically see her friend roll her eyes as she continued, "Gangs are becoming more accommodating. They're shooting each other right where they know they can get help. Pretty soon they'll be shooting it out in front of the OR doors. Cuts out the middleman, you know—the ambulance driver, the paramedic. I'm telling you, Katie-did, it's a war zone in the ER now."

"I'll be there soon," the surgeon said as she disconnected the call and turned to Steve to repeat what Lindsay had told her. "It's a little surprising it hasn't happened before now," she said. "Even with security, the number of weapons confiscated from gangs when they're brought into the hospital is shocking. It was only a matter of time before one of those weapons was overlooked."

"The hospital should spring for more security. Triple it," he said, gripping the steering wheel in anger. "Only way to control it."

Katie agreed and asked loudly, "Who called you about the shooting?"

"Danny."

"He was at the hospital this late?"

"His ex-wife just had a baby and he was heading back to check on them when he heard there were shots in the hospital," Steve explained and then added, "He should be there by now."

"He was checking on his ex-wife and her new baby?"

"He delivered the baby," Steve told her as he took the entrance to the hospital on two wheels and screeched to a stop near the emergency room doors. As they were getting out of the truck, he added, "Don't ask."

The emergency room looked like a set for a disaster movie. Each bay was packed as doctors and nurses rushed from one to the other tending to victims of the highway accident. Mixed in among them were a few gang members, some handcuffed to their gurneys, also waiting to be treated for their wounds. Officers from the Honolulu Police Department were stationed around the area to keep watch over the chaos. Most of the accident victims were dazed and quiet, but the gang members were not so compliant. Some were screaming for drugs while others shouted obscenities and threats because they weren't getting priority attention. It was loud and chaotic.

Danny was waiting just inside the doors. He gave his partner a funny look when he saw him arrive with Katie, but all he said was, "It's bedlam in here."

He was right. They had to shout to be heard. Katie realized she was gripping her phone and didn't have her purse or a pocket to put it in. Without a thought as to what she was doing, she handed the phone to Steve. He already had her keys so he might as well hold her phone, too. Steve and Danny stayed right behind her as she made her way around gurneys and supply carts.

"What's the word on the shooting?"

"From what I've gathered, a rookie cop was watching the ER doors," Danny told them as they followed Katie down the hall. "A guy walked in, and when his jacket fell open, the cop spotted a gun in his pocket. The cop pulled his weapon and told the guy to hand over his gun, but he drew on him. The rookie had no choice but to fire, shot him in the chest. There were enough witnesses to prove it was self-defense. The doctors tried to resuscitate the shooter, but it was too late."

Katie heard him and nodded grimly as she said, "Another victim of the gang wars."

"One of the officers told me there was a real bloodbath tonight at some deserted warehouse. An ambush," Danny continued, "Two dead, six injured. Most are thinking the shooter was here on a vendetta, but a couple of people I talked to said he didn't fit the gangbanger profile."

"No ID?" Steve asked.

"No," Danny answered with a shake of his head, "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea for us to follow up on this."

"We don't usually see this crowd until the middle of the night," Katie remarked to no one in particular as she pushed a gurney aside so they could pass. Steve noticed that she was oblivious to the catcalls and the crude compliments shouted at her from various gurneys. One skinhead yelled something so obscene the former S.E.A.L. wanted to grab him by the neck, but the beautiful doctor in the sexy red dress didn't seem the least bit affected.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria on seven," Katie shouted over the bedlam and then with a parting nod to Danny and Steve she ran to the locker room to change out of her dress and into scrubs. Cinderella was back from the ball and a seventy-year-old man was waiting on the operating table for her. His car had been sandwiched between a semi and a moving van on the freeway and he had suffered a ruptured kidney. It would take her the next few hours to complete the partial nephrectomy before moving on to other patients who needed surgery for their injuries.

She didn't see Steve again until almost two in the morning. Just as she had instructed, he was in the hospital cafeteria…sitting at the same table where he had wheeled himself up to talk to her all those weeks ago. But this time it was Steve who was sprawled in a chair watching one of the news channels. The sound was so low she didn't know how he could hear it. Danny was there, too. He was sound asleep in a chair on the other side the table, but he woke up when she brushed past him. Startled, he jumped to his feet, realized where he was. Yawning, he looked back and forth between his partner and the good doctor before he said, "Good night," and quietly left the table.

Katie had already changed into some jeans and a green t-shirt she kept in her locker, so her dress was neatly folded up and stored in a hospital bag she had grabbed from the lounge. When she turned around, Steve was looking up at her. His hair was tousled, and she thought he looked incredibly sexy.

Damn, the man was gorgeous.

She was dead on her feet, but she still wanted to continue with him exactly where they had left off when their careers had so rudely interrupted the evening. Good thing he wasn't a mind reader. As he fell into step next to her and they walked down the corridor, he commented, "It's the middle of the night. How come you look so good?"

Katie had glanced at herself in the mirror when she was changing, and she knew she looked like hell. Smiling at his compliment, she teased, "You need glasses."

"No, I don't."

The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the main floor, but Katie was so used to running everywhere that she didn't mind the slow pace. In fact, she fought the urge to lean into him as they rode together in silence.

"So what happens now?" she asked, watching the numbers on the strip light up as they descended floors.

"I take you home," he answered.

"And then?"

"Tomorrow you make me breakfast."

Katie could feel the pink creep up into her cheeks as her fuddled brain was suddenly filled with vivid images of tearing his clothes off and having mind-blowing sex. But then as quickly as those thoughts had come into her mind, she quickly pushed them out again. It would have been an amazing night, she knew, and one that she desperately needed. But recreational sex came with a price . . . especially for her. She wasn't the sophisticated and experienced sort who could have sex with a man and forget about him the next morning. Steve McGarrett drew her to him like a moth to a flame but he was oh so dangerous for her. And despite the fact that her body screaming out for his touch, it would be best if they said their good-byes and went their separate ways. Decision made, she relaxed.

"That is not a good idea…"

"Actually," Steve interrupted with a smirk, "it is the best idea I've had in a long time."

Before Katie could protest, his cell phone rang. Danny was on the line.

"I thought you were on your way home," the Commander said to his partner.

"I'm in the ER," Danny informed him, "We've got a situation here. A police officer requested some help with a kid, and I suggested you. Mind stopping by?"

"Yeah, all right."

As Katie and Steve cut through the emergency room area, they noticed how quiet it was compared with the earlier scene. The hallways were empty, and they didn't have to zigzag around the gurneys. Then they turned the corner and spotted Danny. He stood in front of a door with his arms folded, blocking access. A young policeman, a middle-aged man, and a hospital aide were standing in front of him arguing. The aide had a set of keys and wanted Danny to move so he could unlock the door but Danny wasn't budging.

"Get out of the way and I'll just shoot the lock," the older man suggested as he pulled a small handgun from his pocket. "Move out of my way. I'll—"

"What the hell are you doing with that?" Danny asked as he reacted with lightning speed. Before the man could blink, the detective had confiscated the gun and handed it to the officer from Honolulu PD.

The young police officer glared at the older man as he asked, "How did you get in the hospital with that gun, Gorman? And what are you doing with it anyway? You're a social worker—and a damned poor one at that. You should find another line of work."

"I've got a permit to carry," the man called Gorman boasted, "I work in a bad part of town. I need protection. Now give me my gun back."

"Security here sucks," the officer muttered to Danny.

"I want to see your permit," Danny demanded, not budging from the spot where he was standing. He looked tired, but he also looked like someone you didn't want to mess with at that moment.

"It's in my glove compartment."

"What's going on?' Steve asked as he and Katie came up on the scene.

Danny nodded to the social worker and told his partner sarcastically, "Things got out a little out of hand."

"Yeah? What's the problem?"

Katie knew all about Mr. Gorman. He was mean and liked to throw his weight around. They were not admirable traits for a social worker to have.

Gorman started to explain, but Steve put his hand up, nodded to the officer from Honolulu PD, and said, "You tell me."

"A boy was being dragged out of the ER by Gorman."

"I'm a social worker. I have every right—" Gorman began but he quickly shut his mouth when he saw Steve's dark expression and his well muscled arms as he crossed them over his chest.

Steve read the officer's name and said, "Go on, Officer Lane."

"The boy was screaming while Gorman dragged him," he said again. "The aide," he continued with a nod toward the young man holding the keys, "had the boy's other arm. They were hurting him."

"I was using necessary force," Gorman defended.

"He told me to grab him," the aide said.

"Anyway," the officer said in a loud voice to get the others to be quiet, "the boy broke free. He ran through an open exam room where a doctor was sewing up a patient, and he got hold of a scalpel. He locked himself in this private exam room."

"How old is this boy?"

"Nine or ten."

Jeez. Katie drew in a quiet breath as she shook her head at what she was hearing.

"And you want to pull a gun on him?" Steve quietly asked the social worker, narrowing his gaze at the man.

Gorman shrank at the anger in the Commander's eyes. He took a step back and decided to bluster his way through the situation as he tried to explain, "I'm putting this boy in lockup. Resisting and fighting me . . ."

Turning to the aide, Steve said, "Unlock the door and don't leave. You and I aren't finished."

The aide's hands shook as he tried three keys before finally opening the door. He hastily stepped away.

"Officer Lane, escort these two men into the waiting room and wait for me," Steve ordered. He turned to Katie and assured her, "I won't be long."

The former S.E.A.L. entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him as Katie went to the nurse's station to find out who the boy belonged to. She knew the nurse on duty. Her name was Mary, and she was a sweet older woman who was on a perpetual diet.

"What can you tell me about—"

"That sweet boy Gorman terrorized?" Mary asked as Katie nodded in response. Mary moved closer to the counter so she wouldn't be overheard as she whispered, "I don't know who called social services. The boy and his brother were in a car accident. The older brother just got out of surgery. Broken leg," she explained. "The little guy has some cuts, but he checked out all right. He said his aunt is coming to get him, but she won't be here until tomorrow. That's all he would say. Then Gorman came charging in. I thought about calling security, but then Officer Lane came on duty and he helped."

Danny joined Katie at the nurse's station counter. He could see she was becoming anxious as she kept glancing at the door. He wasn't sure if she was more concerned about Steve or the kid, but guessed it was equal concern for both so he said, "It's okay, Dr. G. Steve knows what he's doing. A nine-year-old with a scalpel won't be a problem for him. He's gone into much trickier situations."

Katie couldn't hide her frown. That news didn't comfort her.

"Why didn't you or Officer Lane go in? Why did you ask Steve?"

"Because he's better at this sort of crisis." When Katie looked at Danny skeptically, he chuckled and explained, "Yeah, I know how crazy that sounds. But Steve knows what's going on inside that boy's head. He can help him, and pretty soon the boy will know he can trust him." The doctor still looked skeptical, so he went on, "There was this case about a year ago. An uncle was using his nephew as a punching bag, and one day the kid had had enough. He got hold of his uncle's gun and was going to kill him. The two of them were locked in the boy's bedroom. I remember the walls were green, and there were posters of superheroes all over."

"What happened?"

"There was a standoff, and the boy held the uncle at gunpoint. It took some convincing for the boy to let Steve come in. He found out that the uncle had tried to sexually assault the boy, and that was when the boy went for the gun. Steve understood that the boy wanted his uncle to suffer, and so he described in detail what was going to happen to the uncle when he was sent to prison."

Danny shook his head at the memory and added, "It wasn't how I would have handled the situation and it was pretty gross stuff, but it placated the boy, and he gave Steve the gun. The uncle started screaming at the kid then, so Steve simply walked over and coldcocked him. By the time I was there putting the cuffs on him, the pervert had come around and was blubbering. I guess what Steve had told the kid scared him. The prick," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"What if that boy had turned the gun on Steve?" she asked.

"He was prepared for that," Danny reassured her, recognizing the similarities in the current conversation to one he had with Rachel early on in their relationship. In a softer, but very convincing tone, he said, "Steve knows how to handle these situations."

Katie kept watching the closed door and bit her bottom lip as the fear rose up within her as she said, "Scalpels are sharp. If the boy slashes an artery or—"

"Steve won't let him hurt him."

And he was right. Moments later, the door opened and Steve walked out. He had one hand on the shoulder of the little boy, who was glued to his side, and he held the scalpel in his other hand. The boy seemed too little to be nine or ten, Katie thought, and he looked as scared as she had felt moments ago. She wanted to find Gorman and sock him. As she walked toward them, the child's eyes got big and he shuffled to get behind Steve.

The Commander looked down and said, "It's okay. She's with me. Let's let her look at your arms, okay? Then we'll find you some food and a bed. You're staying here tonight."

The boy's name was Kyle, and both of his arms had red streaks from being wrenched. Steve lifted him onto a nearby exam table and when Kyle saw Katie putting on her gloves, he said, "No shots."

"No shots," she agreed with a smile that she usually reserved for Matty, "I just want to examine you."

She helped him remove his tee shirt as he whispered to her, "The other doctor said the seat belt saved me. See? There's the bruise where it held me. I was in the backseat."

Katie nodded, but she was more interested in his left shoulder and his arms. The skin was red and inflamed from his wrist to his elbows, and the left wrist was sprained. The right arm wasn't as bad.

"Where are your parents, Kyle?" Katie asked, thinking about what she would have done to anyone who had dared do that to her child.

"My mom died, and I don't know my dad," he answered softly.

"Any other family?"

"Just my brother," he replied, "I live with him. My aunt lives in California, and she said she'll come tomorrow and get me."

Katie looked at Steve, her heart breaking in her chest for this boy and she knew what she had to do. Snapping the gloves off, she stated, "I'm going to admit him."

"What does that mean?" Kyle asked with a frantic look in his eyes.

"It means you're going to sleep here tonight."

"With my brother?"

"When your brother gets out of recovery, I'll make sure the two of you get to be roommates. All right?" Katie asked, making some notations in a chart that Mary had brought in while she was examining Kyle.

"What about that man? He said he was going to put me in jail."

"I'll take care of him, like I promised," Steve informed him.

"I'm sorry I took that knife," Kyle said quietly, pulling his shirt back over his head, "I thought they'd leave me alone if I could scare them."

Katie went back to the nurse's station to start the admission process. She called the office and explained that an aide employed by the hospital had inflicted some of the injury to the child and that there was a possibility of a lawsuit. Since she was the admitting physician, she would determine when the child could be released. By the time the paperwork was completed, Kyle was sound asleep.

"It's a bad sprain in his wrist," she told Steve and he could hear the anger in her voice as she added, "I'm surprised Gorman didn't pull his arm out of the socket. He'll need ice packs on the shoulder, too."

She waited at the nurse's station while Steve and Danny went into the waiting room to talk to Gorman and the aide. She heard Officer Lane say in a raised voice, "You have the right to remain silent . . ."

She couldn't hear the rest because Gorman was shouting profanities and the surgeon felt a surge of triumph run through her. A minute later Steve returned to her as if nothing peculiar had just happened and asked, "You ready?"

Katie turned back to the nurse, who was looking admiringly at Steve, and said, "Thanks, Mary."

"Don't worry, I know the night crew on three. They'll watch out for that boy," Mary assured them as they headed for the front doors.

Nodding, Katie followed Steve out into the night air. Danny called good night as he headed to his car and Katie waved at him before she turned to Steve and asked, "How did you get Kyle to calm down?"

"I didn't say anything. I just let him talk," he replied with a shrug, "The poor kid was scared out of his mind. When he was ready to listen to me, I promised him no one was going to lock him up and that I would keep that social worker away from him."

"He obviously believed you," she said and then added, "You were good with him."

"You sound surprised."

"I'm not," Katie replied quickly with a shake of her head and then explained, "You are good with Matty, too. I just thought that on the job you were more of a _'shoot first and talk it out later'_ kind of guy."

"I am," Steve agreed, "when it comes to criminals. That kid was not a bad guy…he was the victim." They reached the truck, and Steve opened the door as he asked, "You'll check on him in the morning?"

"Of course I will," she assured him, taking the hand that he offered to help her up into the truck, "and I'll make sure someone stays with him until his aunt arrives. You don't need to worry."

"With you looking out for him, I won't worry at all," he told her before dropping a quick kiss on her lips and then closing the door firmly between them.

Katie leaned back into the passenger seat, clipped on the seat belt, and closed her eyes. They hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot before she was asleep. Had Steve not been watching, he wouldn't have believed it. Her deep, even breathing indicated she had drifted off into a sound slumber.

As he drove, he thought about the complexities that made up Katie Giordano. She was a woman who was used to being in control, and yet she must have felt comfortable with him. She definitely wouldn't have let herself sleep if she didn't feel safe. Steve remembered the route she had shown him, and it didn't take any time at all to get her home. He parked the truck in front of her house, turned the motor off, then unhooked his seat belt and hers.

"Come on, sweetheart," he whispered, "You need to get to bed."

The second he touched her arm she was alert. Sitting up straight and blinking quickly, she said, "You don't need to walk in with me."

"Yes, I do."

"My parents are here…"

But, once again, he wasn't listening to her protests. When he opened her door, he took her hand and neither one of them said another word until they were inside her house. He did a quick check, pulled her phone out of his pocket, and handed it to her as he followed her into the living room. Steve quickly recognized the man dozing on her couch as former Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, retired Marine Corps Major General Francis "Frank" James. His daughter softly touched his shoulder and whispered, "Daddy?"

The General quickly opened his eyes and blinked the sleep away as he looked up and smiled at his daughter, "Hey sweetheart. Long night?"

Katie nodded in response and it was only then that Frank saw the man standing behind his daughter. As Frank stood, Katie made the introductions, "Dad, this is Commander Steven McGarrett of Five-0. Steve, this is my father, Frank James."

"Commander," Frank said in a gruff, sleep laden voice as he extended his hand.

"General," Steve replied, resisting the urge to salute as he shook the older man's hand. Steve had seen him many times from afar, but up close General Frank James was an imposing figure of a man. Tall and still muscular for his age, the retired Marine's face retained the look of a man who had spent forty long years in service to his country.

"My grandson tells me that you are responsible for teaching him how to throw a football," Frank said, looking down and searching through the cushions of the couch for the television remote he had been holding before he fell asleep, "And then came over tonight to sample my daughter's famous roast chicken."

"Yes, sir," Steve replied, locating the remote on the floor and bending to pick it up. Handing it to Katie's father, he said, "It was very good chicken."

"I know," Frank answered, turning to switch off the television, "it's my wife's recipe." Looking at Katie, he added, "I ate the leftovers."

"Of course you did," she answered with a grin.

"And then Matty and I finished off the tiramisu," he added with a wink. When she raised her eyebrow at him, he shot back, "You were gone a long time."

"There was a pile up on the freeway and I had to put some people back together."

"Even so," Frank said, heading toward the front door, "you should have known better than to leave the tiramisu unattended. I raised you better than that." Looking over at Steve, he asked, "And you?"

"I got a call about a shooting in the ER at the same time, so I drove your daughter to the hospital," Steve explained, suddenly feeling like a teenager who had been caught making out on his girlfriends' couch, "And then I drove her home again."

"Yes you did," the General nodded in agreement before adding, "Mission accomplished, sailor."

"Daddy…" Katie began, rolling her eyes at the protective tone in his voice.

But Frank surprised his little girl by opening the door and saying, "Don't _'daddy'_ me, young lady. I am smart enough to know when there are too many people in a room, you know. So, as the third wheel in this little scenario, I will say good-night."

Kissing her father on his cheek, Katie whispered, "Thanks for being here."

"Always," he answered, then turned to Steve and nodded as he said, "Pleasure to finally meet you, Commander."

"Likewise."

Katie watched her father walk down the driveway to his car before she shut the door behind him. As soon as she turned around, Steve pinned her against the closed door with his strong body before bending down and kissing her. The doctor leaned into him and that was all the permission he needed. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She followed his lead and used her tongue to drive him as wild as he was driving her.

What was the harm in a few kisses . . . only kisses . . . she thought, as her arms curled around his neck. Steve pulled back, looked into her eyes, and with a low growl kissed her again. He loved the taste of her, like sugar and mint, and the feel of her soft, luscious body pressed against him. Most of all he loved the way she responded to him. How could he resist her? The kiss was hot, wet, thoroughly arousing, and when Steve realized it was getting out of control and he didn't want to stop, he forced himself to end it. He couldn't seem to let go of her, though. Holding her tight, he took a couple of deep, shaky breaths, trying to regain some semblance of control.

He knew he shouldn't have started this. He should let go of her and walk out the door. Yeah, that's what he should do. Katie Giordano wasn't the one-night-only kind of girl. She wasn't a hookup or a throwaway, as some of the guys he had served with sometimes called their one-night stands. And he knew, because of his job and her son, that one night was all he would be lucky to get.

_Let go and walk out the door_, he silently chanted the command to himself but still didn't move. How could he? Katie was kissing the pulse at the base of his neck, making his heart rate accelerate. She kissed the side of his neck, then moved up to his ear. Her mouth was soft against his skin, and her tongue was driving him nuts. He tightened his hold on her.

"We need to stop this," he began, realizing his words contradicted his actions, since he couldn't make himself let go.

"I know," she whispered, kissing him again.

"It's been a long night, and I don't want to . . ." he was losing his train of thought, and all he could think about was kissing her.

"You don't want to what?" she asked.

Her fingers splayed into his hair as she leaned up to kiss his jaw. He had to think about the question for several seconds, then said, "Take advantage of you."

The truth was, he wasn't sure he could handle it. If he stayed the night, there was a very real possibility that he might never leave. Katie was going to be real hard to walk away from, almost impossible. He didn't question why he felt that way, just knew it in his heart. She was so different from the other women he had known. She wouldn't be so easily forgotten.

Katie's soft lips brushed his jaw as she said, "And I'd end up getting hurt?"

"Yes," His voice shook as she wondered why he was the one who was pulling away this time, "I think you would. Both of you."

And with those words, Katie stiffened and came crashing back to reality. _What the hell was she doing?_ Watching him with that boy at the hospital and her father's unspoken approval had completely gone to her head…not to mention those kisses that drove her absolutely crazy. For a few brief moments, she had allowed herself to be transported out of the present where she was an overworked, single mother and back to the days when she was a carefree woman who could be swept away by her emotions. But those days were gone. They had died with Jimmy.

"You're right," the brunette said with a sigh as she pulled herself away from the warmth of his body. It took all she had not to throw herself back into his arms, but instead she opened the door and said, "Good night, Commander McGarrett."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Warning - this will be the 3rd child in the ER/hospital chapter I've written for this fic and I am completely aware of it. I would have to assume that children are the hardest part of Katie's job, especially since she is also a mother. There is no Steve in this chapter, although I did have Five-0 as part of it initially. But then I thought that this chapter and the one I am working on next would be better if Katie had this one all to herself. I hope you agree...**_

_**Thanks again for everyone who is taking time to read and review this fic. I truly appreciate it, even if I forget to say "thank you" before I publish each chapter!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty One – This Mother's Work<strong>

"_Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate."_

-Charlotte Gray

_The next morning…_

"…and the surfer in Exam 1 needs his leg suchered up before we send him back out into the Pacific," Dr. Giordano instructed, handing over the last of three charts she had been working on to the young nurse on duty in the ER. Four hours after leaving Honolulu Medical Center, Katie was back at her post and ready for another day in the trenches. Luckily, the early morning was the quietest time in the ER. . .the drunks and gang members had all gone home and most people weren't even awake yet. But, it was taking all the coffee she could find to keep the surgeon's eyelids from collapsing. She had gone through the first half hour in a sort of daze, checking in on Kyle and the other patients who had stayed overnight and ordering tests on the woman who had just arrived with a broken arm.

"You look like hell."

Katie looked up from her next chart just in time to see Dr. Malia Weston sidle up next to her at the ER nurse's station with a playful smirk on her face.

"And good morning to you, friend," the brunette shot back snidely and then drawled, "And I use the word *_friend_* in the loosest sense of the word."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Malia quipped, setting a fresh cup of coffee down on the counter next to the tired surgeon.

"You know what that means," Katie told her, raising an eyebrow at her best friend as she settled into one of the arm chairs behind the desk. Picking up her coffee, she asked, "And why the hell is everyone bringing me coffee all of a sudden?"

Malia chuckled and asked, "Did we get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, sunshine?" Taking a sip of her own coffee, she asked slyly, "Or is all that pent up sexual frustration finally making its way to the surface?"

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy?"

Malia playfully checked her watch and said, "Nope. My schedule is pretty clear for the next few minutes." Grinning at her friend's attempts to ignore her, the pediatrician quipped, "You seriously do look like hell."

Katie just shook her head and tucked the lock of chestnut hair that was falling in her face behind her ear as she replied, "Seriously...thanks."

"You don't look at all like yourself," Chin's fiancé continued, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "No make-up, bags under the eyes, pasty skin...rough night?"

"I didn't sleep well."

"Ah," Malia said triumphantly, "but the big question is...did you sleep alone?"

Katie gave her friend and colleague one of her patented evil eyes across the desk and said, "Despite your best efforts. . .yes, I went to bed alone. Like I have every night for the past six years."

"My best efforts?" Malia asked, pasting an innocent look very similar to Matt's on her face. "What on earth are you talking about, my dear?"

"You are as bad at this as your ten year old partner in crime," the surgeon informed her, not looking up from her paperwork. "And you are both completely busted."

Malia laughed out loud at the statement and then asked, "So, how did your date go?"

Katie was silent for a few more minutes, hoping that Malia would go away. But, of course, she didn't so Katie put down her paperwork and glared across the desk as she said, "If you must know...he is a fantastic kisser."

Malia's eyes widened in surprise, but she kept up the innocent act as she exclaimed, "I knew it! But I didn't know anyone who had kissed him until now."

"Malia..."

"What?"

"You are engaged," her friend reminded her, "you shouldn't be thinking about whether or not Steve McGarrett is a good kisser."

"I'm engaged, not dead," Malia reminded her with another grin before she added, "But more importantly…my girl's got her groove back! Outstanding!"

"I do not have my...groove...anywhere!" Katie hissed. "This is awful."

"What is awful?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Katie hissed wide eyed as she looked around to make sure none of the hospital gossips were within earshot. When she was sure they were in the clear, the doctor repeated, "I kissed Steve McGarrett last night! Many, many times!"

"Yes, I heard you," Malia assured her with a grin. "And now I want details. Many, many details."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Katie grumbled, looking back down at her paperwork.

"Are you nuts?" Malia asked, standing up and pulling Katie's file out from under her nose, "Of course we are going to talk about it! This is huge. Plus you owe me for not telling me about Steve coming to Matt's football game and the date that occurred afterwards. As your best friend, I am not supposed to hear about such events second hand."

"Hey!" the brunette exclaimed, as she watched Malia take her file, put it on her chair, and promptly sit on it. "And we did not have a date after the football game...we had burgers. And shave ice. Now give that file back to me. I need it."

"No, you **need** to tell me all of the events that led up to you kissing Steve. . . many, many times." Malia corrected her. Crossing her legs and setting a determined look upon her face, she said, "Now, spill it."

Katie drew in a deep breath and then blew it out again as she muttered, "As if you didn't know."

"No, I don't know," the pediatrician informed her friend. When Katie glared at her, she explained, "I know how he got there, I admit. But what happened between the moment he rang your doorbell and the moment you devoured his luscious lips with your own is what I am not clear on."

"How could you do that to me?" Katie moaned, ignoring Malia's plea for details. "I was all set up to have dinner with my two best friends and ended up having dinner with the man I am trying very hard not to fall for instead."

"And then kissing him," Malia reminded her, wondering if Katie realized that she had just admitted to having feelings for Steve, "Let's not forget the part about kissing him."

"How could I?" Katie muttered and swore that her lips began to tingle as she thought about those skillful lips of his. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she looked at her best friend again and asked, "So, why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Malia..."

"Because it was fun."

"It was not fun!" Katie corrected her. "It was..."

"Any evening that ended with kissing a major hottie like Steve McGarrett had to be just a little fun," Malia reasoned with a playful grin.

"Would you forget about the kissing?" Katie snapped in frustration, ready to bang her head on the desk. "You set me up."

"Yes I did," Malia admitted proudly, "Me and Matty. And Chin, too...but he only came in at the end."

"And you don't see anything wrong with that?"

"Nope."

"Care to explain?" Katie asked, ready to throttle her beautiful pal.

"What's to explain?" Malia asked innocently, taking another sip of her coffee. "You just said that you have been going to bed alone for the last six years. That's just sad. MOre than sad...it's unnatural. So, when Matt said that he had a plan to set you up with the gorgeous, sexy Steve McGarrett. . .I jumped in with both feet. I mean, most of my plans to set the two of you up have failed but Matty seems to be awfully good at it."

"Matt is ten!" Katie reminded her forcefully. "Why do I have to keep reminding people of that?"

Malia chuckled at her and said, "Well he's old enough and smart enough to know that it's time for you to start getting back out there." She cocked her head to the side and said, "We're all a little worried about you, you know."

"Well, I am fine," Katie reassured her. It was amazing how she could be fed up with her best friend in one moment and completely in awe of her again in the next. "And I'm happy. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have to have a boyfriend. I do pretty well on my own."

"Yes, you do," Malia agreed gently. "But you don't have to be on your own all the time."

"I'm not," the surgeon protested, "I have Matt. And my family. And you. And your family."

"Yeah, but I'm getting married soon," Malia reminded her with a grin. "And that means that I'm not going to have as much time to meddle in your life, so I wanted to make sure that I got it all in now." Katie laughed and shook her head as her friend continued, "I have known you a long time, Katy-did, so I know what you look like when you are happy. And it usually coincides with when you are in love. Face it girl, you look good in love."

"And you thought Steve McGarrett was the right man for the job?"

"Yes, I did. And so did Matty," Malia reminded her and then pointed out, "Steve is the first guy in a long time to get past your defenses and actually touch those forbidden lips with his." Katie eyed her friend again and Malia let out a deep breath as she offered up a new explanation, "I just figured that it was kind of perfect, you know? My best friend and Chin's best friend, the whole Navy SEAL thing…who are we to challenge who love chooses to unite? It follows no rules...no logic. I mean, look at my parents. Or yours. Who would have thought that they would find happiness with each other? And me and Chin, for that matter. We were circulating in two different universes before fate brought us back together."

"He's dangerous, Malia."

"Why?" she challenged.

But before Katie could finish, the yellow phone next to Malia's head went off and the mass casualty incident alarm was immediately triggered. As the warning signal of _"Code Yellow: Mass Casualty Alert, Code Yellow: Mass Casualty Alert, All Available Emergency Personnel to the ER," _sounded, the surgeon watched in alarm as her friend received instructions before hanging up the phone.

"Break time is over, Katy-did," she reported, trying to catch her breath. "We've got a situation."

"What's going on?"

"School bus crash, rear left side collision with a food delivery truck…"

"School bus?" Katie asked as she stopped tying her hair up into a ponytail and looked at her friend in alarm, "Which school?"

"It's not Kauluwela," Malia informed her, knowing exactly what her best friend was thinking. As the two doctors joined in with the chaos of readying the ER for a mass casualty incident, she continued, "The bus is from Kailua…they're splitting up the major casualties between here and Queens General. Matty's not involved."

"But other people's children are," Katie whispered, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she asked, "How many are we looking at?"

"So far twenty-six. Nine major, seventeen minor," the chief of trauma surgery, Dr. Jonathan Cramer, suddenly appeared next to Katie with a grim expression on his face.

"How many are coming here?"

"They're sending all the majors our way."

"Do we have an age range?"

"Elementary…so I'm guessing their ages range anywhere from five to eleven."

"Babies," Katie muttered under her breath before reverting to trauma mode and barking out orders to her team as they stood awaiting her instructions, "Alright people, you know what you have to do. We've got nine majors coming and a few minors." The surgeon turned to her best friend and informed her, "Ages ranging from five to eleven, so let's get as many of the pediatrics staff down here as we can." Malia nodded and took off toward the nearest phone as Katie continued, "ETA is five minutes for the first one. Kelly, get Drs. Green and Callahan and prep trauma one. Everyone else, prepare the rest of the trauma units…we don't know how many we're going to need because we weren't told much. Only to be prepared, which can't be a good sign."

Soon enough the sound of sirens could be heard coming closer and the first of the ambulances came around the corner. It screeched to a halt next to the emergency room doors and immediately a paramedic pushed open the back. She pulled out a child on a stretcher and began talking as Katie and Malia ran over to them.

"Eight year old female, blunt force trauma to the head," said the paramedic Katie directed Dr. Green to take the child to trauma one. "Her name is Allison Stigel and her brother, Bobby, is right behind us. He's fine except for a few bumps and bruises, but it looks like he might need some stitches for the laceration on his forehead."

And then…

"Simon Walker, nine years old," recited the next paramedic who exited the ambulance, "mild concussion with a severe laceration above his left eye. Conscious upon arrival but slightly panicked so we gave him morphine for the pain and to calm him down. No signs of further injury."

"Thanks Frankie," Katie replied hurriedly as Simon Walker was instantly wheeled off by her colleague Dr. Reggie Callahan, "Do you have any information on the other victims?"

"Only that little Simon here is the most healthy," the paramedic replied grimly, Katie's heart falling again at the realization that they had a good chance of losing at least one child today, "The truck struck the rear left of the bus. This kid was sitting near the front and look what happened to him. It's gonna be a bad day, Dr. G."

"Okay," Katie nodded as Frankie and another paramedic got back into the rig and headed off. No more than a few moments later, the second ambulance came speeding around the corner. Two more doctors got in position as the doors opened and revealed another stretcher, this time occupied by a smaller person.

"Jamie Walker, six years old, several large lacerations to the face and left arm. Stabilized in the field but hasn't re-gained consciousness," the paramedic said as he got out of the rig. The boy was unconscious as Katie got to him, looking over the boy and seeing more injuries.

"What caused the damage to his leg?" she asked, lifting the blood soaked sheet that was covering him.

"It was crushed when the truck made impact, it swung around and basically bashed in the entire left side of the bus."

But before she could get any more information, the third ambulance was stopping in front of them. Two paramedics got out with distressed looks on their faces as Katie and Nurse Kelly stepped up to the rig.

"What have we got?"

"Natalie and Sarah Palmer, eight year old twins. Natalie was on the left side of the bus so she suffered the worst of it. Unconscious at the scene, with multiple face, neck and arm lacerations. Possible crushed pelvis and left leg. Her abdomen was rigid upon exam. She coded once on route but we were able to revive her, pulse is weak but steady for the moment. Sarah was on the opposite side. She has a severe concussion, broken right wrist from impact and neck and back strain from the force of the collision."

Katie stopped and looked down at the twins. Both unconscious and fighting for their lives. Natalie's face was covered in blood and the surgeon could barely tell where she was injured. She swallowed harshly as she watched Kelly wheel the twins away before turning her attention to the second paramedic who emerged from the ambulance.

"Oh my god," she whispered as soon as she saw him, wheeling out a small gurney with a tiny body on it.

"Ethan Hennessey, four and a half years old…"

"Four and a half?" she repeated, unable to take the panic out of her voice as she stepped up and looked over the tiny human, thinking that she had never seen so much blood on such a small child. "Isn't that a bit young for school?"

"Just started kindergarten," the paramedic replied, as much sadness in his eyes as in her own. "He was tossed about ten feet from the bus. Tachycardic at one-twenty, BP one-fifty over ninety-eight, resps seventeen, GCS six. He was gone when we got to the scene but we brought him back. He has a pulse, barely, massive head and abdominal injuries which caused him to code once more on the way over but he came back."

"Got it," Katie acknowledged him but was trying to figure out what to look at first since there was so much blood. She wheeled the gurney through the doors and into bay five with two interns and two nurses running in behind her.

"Oh Jesus," one of them said, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. Katie was covered in blood, and all of it from the small child on the table in front of her. The other intern was trying his best to hook the child up to the machines but he was so tiny and it was hard for him to maneuver.

"April, I need your hands. There's too much bleeding so I need you to help me locate the source," Katie ordered to one of the residents who were just standing there in shock. "April!" Katie shouted, snapping her out of it.

"Right, sorry, erm, okay..." the young doctor mumbled, moving towards the table and going over every inch of the child's body. He hadn't moved since Dr. Giordano had gotten her hands on him, the beeping of his heart monitor slowing as she frantically tried to stop all of the bleeders. April gently moved round to the back of his head and noticed a large amount of the blood was coming from there.

"Doctor G," she said nervously as Katie joined her.

"Damn it, he's bleeding out too quickly." She looked back up at April and barked, "Find a neurosurgeon and get him in here now!" Focusing her attention back on Ethan, she shouted, "I need more towels! The bleeding isn't stopping!"

"I got some! I got some," the other resident, Sam Collins, yelled running up to her. Katie grabbed them immediately and discarded the blood soaked ones. There was blood everywhere, all over the boy and dripping onto the floor in a steady stream that belied the nurse's reassuring murmurs that the child was '_going to be fine, a scratch is all, nothing to stop you from standing up and going back to school tomorrow.'_ Chaos had overtaken the emergency room. The white tiled floor had now turned a bright shade of red as the trauma teams worked vigorously on children in all available trauma bays; nothing seemed to be helping. The petite surgeon didn't have time to think. She needed to focus on saving this child's life.

"Ethan baby, can you hear me?" He didn't respond. "Ethan! If you can hear me, you're in the hospital. You've been in an accident, but we are going to fix you right up. Hang in there for me, little man. Hang in there!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ethan flat-lined.

"No, no, damn it!" Katie shouted, moving around to his side and starting compressions. "Come on, come on little man," she pleaded. Minutes passed as she tried everything she could to bring him back, but it was no use. She heard the doors open as April returned with neurosurgeon Dr. Kiko Len but she didn't look up. Most of the interns and nurses had stopped moving, only Katie was left trying to resuscitate the child.

"Doctor Giordano," April said gently, but the surgeon did not look up.

"Katie," Kiko spoke softly, moving around to the other side of the room. He placed a hand on Katie's shoulder but she didn't stop. Dr. Len spoke again, his voice full of sadness, "Katie, he's gone. You need to call it."

"No, no I can't…" she whispered, focusing on counting in her head. It wasn't supposed to end this way, not this time. Not with this child. "If it were Matty, I wouldn't want anyone to stop…"

"It's not Matty," the neurosurgeon whispered, a tear falling over his cheek as he did so. As a father himself, Kiko knew that Katie was shredding herself to pieces behind the strong façade she was putting forth. Gently, but firmly, he added, "Doctor, there are other children out there who need you. He got the best medical care we could give him. You have to let him go. Sometimes...it's just time."

The room settled into silence as Katie finally stopped administering chest compressions. She looked up at the clock on the far wall and hastily wiped the tear from her face. For even the legendary Katie Giordano could not work miracles that large and sometimes medicine was not enough to stay death forever.

"Time of death, seven twenty-three am."

And with that she walked out of the trauma bay and back into the chaos.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Hello friends! I'm sorry to have made you cry with that last chapter. But I know that last night's episode totally cheered me up! So in the spirit of that epi and to make up for making you cry, I wrote a chapter that I thought would definitely make you smile! It's serious, but in a pretty good way. I hope you enjoy this one and go to sleep dreaming about Alex/Steve's arms...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Two – The Arms of an Angel<strong>

"_I will be the answer at the end of the line. I will be there for you while you take the time. In the burning of uncertainty I will be your solid ground. I will hold the balance if you can't look down._

_If it takes my whole life, I won't break, I won't bend. It will all be worth it, worth it in the end._

_Because I can only tell you what I know; that I need you in my life. When the stars have all gone out, you'll still be burning so bright."_

~lyrics from Answer by Sarah McLachlan

_Eight hours later…_

With nothing but the bleak, eternal evening stretching out before her, Katie's world-weary mind had nothing to do other than rove the many paths of her memory. But it was her most current memories that were the cause of her unexpected trip to a local park after driving around the city aimlessly for hours after her shift ended. The bus accident had been horrible…there was simply no other word to describe it. In a life and career that had been full of bad days, this had to have been one of the worst.

She had once heard her father say that every once in a while there would be days with an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always included body counts. But, Katie had never felt the truth of that statement more pointedly than she did today. Of the 45 children on the bus, 9 had died…two of those kids had died at the scene, one had died on the way to the hospital, four more died in the trauma rooms of Honolulu Medical and Queens General, and the last two ended up being removed from ventilators and died before the sun had gone down.

Unwilling to go home, the beleaguered surgeon had just started driving around the beloved island that she had come to think of as her hometown. She didn't want Matt to see how upset she was by the day's events because she always tried so hard not to bring her work home to him. But the more she drove, the worse she felt. Finally pulling into the parking lot of the park, she decided that a brisk walk would do more for her fragile psyche than her endless driving. And when she had seen the empty swings that hung in the children's playground area, she decided to just stop and sit for awhile. The city of Honolulu seemed so peaceful in the twilight of evening, having no idea that nine of its young citizens had just died.

And Katie couldn't save them.

But she had tried. Damn, she had tried.

As a trauma surgeon, she should be used to this by now...the inevitable end of human life. She was a doctor…Ethan Hennessey and Natalie Palmer were her patients. That was all. She went over those thoughts in her mind to try and hold back the tears. But a single tear formed in her eye and came to rest on her cheek, where it froze like the rest of her body. She twisted her hands, trying to steady them, and told herself not to cry. Crying solved nothing. It never had. She had learned that long ago.

Katie breathed in the night air and wrapped her arms tightly around herself to keep from shivering. It was colder out than it should be for this time of year in Hawaii, but the cold air would do her some good. As would sitting on the swings that she herself had played on as a child and then, years later, where she had pushed Matt for endless hours at a time.

A smile came to her lips for the first time in hours as she thought of her own precious child...her living reminder of Jimmy. It had been the miraculous baby boy who had been placed in her arms almost two months after her beloved husband's death that had helped to take her mind off her grief.

Thoughts of Matt's birth immediately led Katie to think of Ethan Hennessey's mother...who had arrived too late to kiss her son good-bye. The last bit of life had drained out of Ethan as Katie kept pumping up and down on his small chest, praying for his mother to arrive in time. And Natalie Palmer's mother, who had lost one of her adorable twin daughters and was spending this night at the other twins' hospital bedside. Katie knew that although Mr. and Mrs. Palmer were already grieving, they were also hoping and praying that they would not have to bury both of their little girls. The memory of those lifeless children made Katie ache to wrap her arms around Matty and feel the life and breath surging through him. That was what she really needed. Just to spend some time alone with her child and remember how blessed her life truly was.

As if he could read her mind, Matt met her at the car when Katie pulled into the driveway of their home twenty minutes later. Malia must have called her parents, who in turn had told Matt, because he didn't utter a single word as he slipped into his mother's arms as soon as she stepped out of her car. She wrapped her child in the tightest of embraces and buried her face in the soft, sweet smell of the hair at the crown of his head.

"I love you, mom," he whispered as she held him even tighter, if that was possible.

She had been right...this was what she had really needed.

"I love you, too," Katie replied as she blinked back the tears and took a step back to smile down at him, "And I am so lucky to have you."

"Are you hungry?" he asked with a smile as she put her arm around him and they began to walk toward the front door. "Because there's a surprise for you in the kitchen."

"A surprise?" Katie asked quietly as they ascended the front steps. "What kind of surprise?"

"Just a surprise."

Matt smiled up at her again and opened the front door as the sweet smell of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla wafted out of the kitchen to meet them. When his mother looked down at him in surprise, he grinned and told her, "French Toast."

"You made me French Toast?" she asked, putting her purse down on the front hall table and following her adorable son down the hall into the kitchen.

"Nope," Matt told her over his shoulder with a grin, "he did."

Katie looked up in surprise to see Steve McGarrett standing in her kitchen, spatula in hand, flipping thick slices of French Toast over the griddle. He looked equal parts adorable and ridiculous with his standard cargo pants and t-shirt covered by her hot pink "_I Love to Cook with Wine…Sometimes I Even Put it in the Food_" apron and holding a matching pink spatula.

"What are you doing here?"

"Making dinner," Steve replied simply as he gestured to the griddle in front of him and said, "French toast is my favorite comfort food. And after today...I thought everyone could use a little comfort."

Katie nodded in agreement and for the first time all evening she felt the heaviness of the bus accident and its aftermath sink into her shoulders. She was tired. And dirty. And had spent most of the day covered in blood that wasn't hers. All she wanted to do was soak in a hot bath with a glass of wine and then crawl into her bed and sleep for a decade.

But the comforting smell of French Toast wafting through her home suddenly seemed very appealing. Smiling her silent thanks to Steve, she planted a kiss on top of Matt's head and then excused herself to wash up. As the surgeon wandered into the guest bathroom to cleanse her face of the day's anxiety, the thoughts of a promising tomorrow became haunting ones of the day gone by. She frowned at the sudden stuffiness of the small room and opened a window, a little ajar, expecting a gush of air so cool and sweet it may have eased the pain away.

When she had composed herself enough, Katie stepped out of the bathroom to find Steve waiting for her in the small entrance hallway outside the door. Looking at him curiously, she asked once again, "What are you doing here?"

Quickly opening up the door of a nearby closet, he pretended to be looking for something inside as he said innocently, "Um…looking for the syrup?"

"In the hall closet?" she asked skeptically, and then added wryly, "Are you worried about me, McGarrett?"

"Should I be?"

Katie let out a sigh and sidestepped his question by asking, "Were you there?"

"It was mainly HPD's scene, but we got called in to help provide crowd control and redirect traffic and help coordinate grief counseling for the families." Steve looked at her with sad eyes as they walked back into the kitchen together before he said, "Chin and I stopped by Honolulu Medical, but you and Malia were nowhere to be found. We didn't want to be distractions, so we just figured that we'd see you later."

Thinking that it might have been really good for her fragile psyche to see his face in the midst of the chaos of the day, Katie changed the subject in front of Matt as she said, "I didn't realize that you could cook."

Watching as Katie sunk into an overstuffed chair near the fireplace, Steve moved back to his place in front of the griddle as he answered, "Well, French Toast is about the extent of it. Although, I am a master of the BBQ grill." Lifting a slice of his French Toast to check and see how it was browning, he added with a smirk, "I like cooking. Plus, I recently heard somewhere that a man who can cook is sexy."

Katie smiled in spite of herself at his reference to their conversation the previous evening...which now seemed like a lifetime ago. Tiredly, she shot back, "Oh yeah? Well, I recently heard that *_guys_* don't do the cooking or cleaning."

"Really?" he teased, pretending to be offended by her words. "I can't imagine what kind of sexist pig would have said that." Flipping over a slice of his French Toast, he looked at her triumphantly and asked, "So does the rule about one person cooking and the other person cleaning up still apply?"

_"*I*_ did the cleaning up last night," the surgeon reminded him, eyeing him across the open family room.

"Only because you kicked me out."

"Because you kis-..." Katie stopped mid-comeback and slid her eyes over to where Matt was watching the scene with keen interest. Steve raised his eyebrow at her and so instead she simply said, "The French Toast smells delicious."

"Thank you," he replied with a satisfied grin.

Looking over at Matt, she said quietly, "I'm sorry I was so late getting home. After my shift at the hospital ended..."

"I know," Matt interrupted his mother quietly. "Commander Steve told me about the bus accident and how many kids were hurt. I knew how sad it would make you, so we kind of figured that you would go be by yourself after work."

"You did?"

Matt shrugged and said, "Commander Steve thought you might have gone to the beach."

"Very close," she told him with a sad smile. "I went to the park. After driving around for awhile, I went to sit on the swings."

"The swings always make me feel better, too." he said with a grin and then asked, "Do you want some milk or something to drink?"

Katie needed something stronger than milk, but she simply replied, "Just some ice water, I think."

"I'll get it," Matt said, moving behind Steve into the kitchen.

As she watched him get down a glass and fill it with ice, she asked, "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yep." he replied. "Steve checked it and signed my assignment book."

"You did?" Katie asked in surprise, looking over at the Commander.

"Sure." Steve answered, as Matt handed her the glass of water. "After all of my training in underwater close combat and advanced interrogation techniques, fifth grade math was a piece of cake."

The tired doctor chuckled at him as she looked at her son and said softly, "Come here." Matt did as he was told and sat gingerly on his mother's lap. He laid his head on her shoulder as she whispered, "We haven't done this since you were little."

"Am I too big for you now?"

"Never," she assured him, holding him tighter, "You'll never be too big for this."

They sat there like that for a few minutes, cuddled in the big easy chair, as they watched Steve prepare their French Toast dinner. The scene was peaceful and comfortable and completely domestic. And Steve was right at home being in the middle of it. Quietly, Matt whispered to his mother, "I'm sorry you had a bad day, mom. And I'm sorry those kids died in the accident."

"Me too, baby," Katie whispered back, leaning down to kiss the top of his head, "I'm sorry that they had to die, too."

She felt the tears spring to her eyes as she held her own son and thought once again about the mothers that would never again hold her children. Sitting up carefully, she said quietly, "I think I need to get some air, okay?"

"Okay," Matt said, watching her get up in confusion. "Want me to come?"

"No," she told him with a shake of her head. "You stay here and help Steve."

As she opened the french doors that led out to the back deck, Matt watched her go and then looked at Steve as he said, "She's not okay yet."

"It was pretty bad in the ER today. Even the kids that your mom helped to save were in really bad condition before she worked on them," the Commander told him, also watching Katie as she leaned over the railing of the deck to look out on the backyard. "It might take awhile for her to be okay."

Outside the moonlight, the palest shade of blue, shone down on the quiet still of the Pacific. Merging with the water, it made an exquisite portrait of serenity. The dim rays of light glazed the dark body, waves few and far between, a midnight black vicinity, a slightly rippled mass resembling the smoothest, shimmering glass. Hopeless romantics might appreciate the view, somewhere along the distance looking from the natural mirror to the stars above, whispering sonnets and promises of eternal love and passion. But to the lone figure standing on her deck overlooking the ocean, there wasn't anything beautiful about it. The only emotion she found in the night's shadows was that of supreme frustration. Mystical enchantment and heart removed from the equation, all that remained was a haunting, chilling feeling in the air. Very much like her current mood.

Katie had been able to keep her fears buried as she cared for the young children who came through the ER, but once she was alone on the deck with only her memories of those beautiful faces, she could not hold her feelings down and she started to cry. She cried for what had become of their short lives and how they had ended too soon, but also for all the loss she had known in her life. She cried for the loss of innocence and her breaking heart. At first she made no sound, but soon her weeping grew in intensity, until she started to sob, taking in great gasps of air.

The wind blew, making her mane of hair as wild as horses, and she didn't hear the doors behind her open or his footsteps approach. What she did hear was Steve's gentle voice say, "There wasn't anything more you could have done, Katie."

The former SEAL turned the petite brunette around to face him and wrapped her in his embrace. She laid her head on his chest and tried to calm her sobs. But it was no use. They were sobs of pure grief and would not be calmed by an intimate embrace or the force of her strong will. He held her for a few more moments and then she felt his hand on her chin, forcing her head up. Steve was so close to her and his hand remained under her chin, warming her skin as he softly said, "Katie?" She did not respond immediately and so he spoke to her again, saying, "Look at me, Katie."

His tone was like the one her father always used and the beautiful doctor instinctively knew to obey that voice.

"You did everything that you and medicine could do for those kids," he whispered in a more soothing tone, "You saved a lot of lives today…many of those children might not have made it through without you. And that has to be what helps you sleep tonight."

Slowly, Katie grew calmer as she looked into his deep blue eyes. She had a focus; something to distract her from the grief that seemed to be overwhelming her. Her sobs ceased, and her breathing returned to normal. They were standing so close. The irises of his eyes were amazingly clear and blue, like some exotic spice dissolved in pools of icy water.

"How many did you lose?"

"Two died in the ER and three more are still in critical condition," Katie recited through her tears, "They lost three at Queens General and they have one that they are going to remove from life support as soon as the parents sign the consent forms."

She could hear him draw in a deep and shaky breath before he stated, "Considering the severity of the accident and that there were over 40 kids on that bus, those odds are pretty…"

"Don't say that," she snapped angrily, looking up at him with fire in her eyes, "Don't you dare say that to me. One dead child is too many, so the odds are not going to make me feel any better."

Studying her closely, he relented, "Yeah."

They stood looking out over the ocean for what seemed like an eternity before she whispered, "I came home tonight and hugged my child, but there are too many parents on this island who can't say the same thing. They were so young…even younger than Matty."

"I know," he whispered back, pulling her close to him again and wrapping his arms around her. He smoothed her hair as he held her and said, "There's nothing about this that doesn't suck. But you have to walk away from this. You gave them all you had, but it was just their time to go."

"Those women lost their babies," Katie said, a fresh round of sobs beginning to grip her. "They birthed them, raised them, loved them, and now they are planning their funerals. No parent should ever have to bury their child." Steve tightened his grip on his embrace as the sobs overtook her tiny body. But she didn't care. It was her lowest moment and even the tall, handsome ex-SEAL couldn't take it from her.

And he didn't even try.

Not bothering to look up at him, she tried to explain quietly, "I tried so hard not cry all day. Not in front of the parents or my colleagues. They were depending on my strength…"

"Cry now," he told her through the emotional lump lodge in his throat and then whispered, "I promise not to tell."

She laid her head on his chest and tried to calm her sobs. But it was no use. And, finally, when she had cried herself out, Katie grew calmer as she looked up into his bright blue eyes. Her sobs ceased, and her breathing returned to normal.

"Okay now?" he asked, running his hands up and down her arms to supply some warmth. He could feel the goose bumps that rose up on her arms as the chilly night air hit her skin and he casually mentioned, "It's chilly out here tonight. We should go inside."

"I'll be fine."

"Yes," he joked, "because that damn pride of yours is going to keep you warm, right?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, she looked up at him and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I told you...to make you French Toast."

"I can make my own French Toast."

"I know. But I only do about two nice things a year and time is running out, so I figured I would do something nice for you," he said, hoping to make her smile.

It didn't work.

So he tried again, teasing, "And because you're a pretty good kisser."

When she looked up at him again, surprised that he would bring that up at a time like this, he added, "So I figured that if I gave you a shoulder to cry on and spouted out a few insightful words, I could play on your vulnerable moment and you might kiss me some more."

"Don't patronize me," she said stubbornly once she realized that he was joking. "Or feel sorry for me. I can deal with this."

"I have no doubt about that," Steve said. "But you just don't have to deal with it alone. Okay?"

And then Katie surprised herself by sliding into the warmth of his embrace again. They stood there in each other's arms for a few moments in the dark and Katie began to replay the day's events in her mind again. Her feelings overwhelmed her and she found her voice suddenly betray her heart.

"I am so tired of feeling sad all the time," she whispered into the darkness. "I don't want to feel numb anymore."

The well she carried within her began to overflow, after years of being kept down, and she was unable to resist. She looked up as his face came ever closer and soon the warmth of his lips met the coldness of her own. The heat generated from his kiss consumed her and was hotter than any fire she had ever been near. Katie melted deeper into him, his arms wrapping around her slight frame and pulling her closer. Her arms found their way around his neck and her fingers were lost in the darkness of his hair, as a low moan escaped his lips while they ravaged hers.

Katie could feel herself slipping...into what she did not know. Steve was a man who would end up breaking her heart, and her heart could not contain another wound. But he had been binding himself to her with every kind word, every piercing glance and she felt herself sinking. She did not know how much further she could sink without harm. But still, she could not pull away from his embrace and the warmth it brought to her almost numb body and spirit.

Katie didn't know what might have happened next, for it was Steve who pulled away from their embrace. It was a move that surprised them both. She looked up into his eyes, which were dark with desire as he said, "I can't believe I am saying this...but I'm going to stop you right there."

"Because my son is sitting just beyond those doors waiting for French Toast?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, that..." he said with a grin, reaching up to run his long, slender finger along the side of her face, "And because I don't want you to see me as just some guy who took advantage of you during a moment of weakness."

"What do you want me to see you as?" she asked breathlessly.

"I don't know," he admitted honestly, realizing that this woman brought feelings out of him that he had been running away from his entire life. "But I definitely want you to see me."

Katie regarded him with tired eyes and a newfound respect. She knew how much resolve it must have taken for him to pull away from her kiss, yet allow her to remain in his arms.

"Thank you, Steve," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her more firmly into his embrace.

And as he gently kissed her temple, she answered quietly, "For being here."

**_Two hours later…_**

"You cook and you do the dishes?" Katie asked in surprise as she watched her son clear the dishes from the table and hand them to Steve to load into the dishwasher. "Will the real Steve McGarrett please stand up."

"I have been surviving on my own for a long time, Miss Judgmental," the Commander quipped playfully as he loaded the last of the dishes. He turned toward the sink to wash the griddle only to find that Matt was already standing there.

"I've got it," the ten year old said over his shoulder, "Why don't you go sit with my mom?"

Steve chuckled and exchanged a look with Katie as he walked across the family room to sink down next to her pn one of the deep velvet sofas. She looked half asleep, so he extended his arm and placed it around her shoulders. Without thinking, the doctor relaxed against him and tried to identify the feeling that was stealing over her. As she settled back, Katie found herself tucked against Steve's warm side so she closed her eyes and let her cheek rest on his shoulder.

Just for a moment.

One of his hands came up to the side of her face and began stroking her hair as she heard Matt ask, "Is she asleep?"

"I'm fine," Katie protested, screwing her eyes open. "Just a li'l…" she paused, having to concentrate to form the words right. Her tongue felt like it had been Scotch guarded. "…shleep-deprived."

"Katie, honey . . ." there was a tremor of laughter in Steve's voice and his hand moved over her hair. His fingers delved through the light, loose strands to her scalp and stroked tenderly. She closed her eyes again and held still, hoping he wouldn't stop.

"What time is it?" she finally mumbled, yawning.

"Eight-thirty."

She wished she could have just five more minutes of resting against Steve. The muscles beneath his T-shirt pillowed her cheek so firmly, so perfectly. "Li'l longer," she mumbled, burrowing deeper. She sighed and drowsed, dimly aware of the murmured conversation around her.

"She never goes to bed this early."

"Well, she had a long night last night," Steve was explaining, "And then an early morning…"

"And then a really bad day," Matt finished.

Katie vaguely heard the faucet shut off and although she wanted to say something in her own defense, she was too exhausted to make a sound. Steve began to rub her back and shoulders and squeezed the sore muscles at the nape of her neck. She let out a faint moan at the exquisite pressure of his fingers and snuggled closer against him. Either she dozed more heavily or a long silence passed, because she didn't hear anything for a while.

"Katie," she eventually heard and shook her head in annoyance. She was so comfortable and she wanted the voice to go away. "Katie." Something soft and hot brushed her cheek. "Let me take you up to your room."

The surgeon was mortified to realize that she had fallen sound asleep in front of them, and that she was practically in Steve's lap.

"Okay. Yes. I'm sorry," she struggled upward, tried to find her balance. She trudged forward, nearly blind with exhaustion, staggering with it. It took extreme focus to keep one foot in front of the other as she said, "I don't know why I'm so tired tonight. It's all caught up with me, I guess." She felt Steve's hand descend to the center of her back, guiding her forward toward the stairs and Katie decided to talk to keep herself awake, "You know, chronic sleep deper…dep …"

"Deprivation?"

"Yes," she replied, shaking her head to clear it, "It gives you memory problems and raises your blood pressure. And it results in occupational hazards. . ."

"Here we go," Steve suddenly said and before she knew what was happening he had scooped her tiny body up into his powerful arms. As he began to climb the stairs, Katie began to process what was happening and tried to push away from his powerful chest. But he was holding her too tightly and before she knew it he had deposited her outside the door of her bedroom.

"You go change and I'll check on Matt," he instructed, reaching across her and opening the door to her inner sanctum.

In confusion, she squinted and looked around as she asked, "Where is Matt?"

"He went to bed," Steve informed her and then added with a smirk, "about twenty minutes ago."

"I didn't hear him…"

"I know," he replied with a smile as he headed down the hall toward Matt's room, "I'll make sure that he's all tucked in."

"He's not allowed to watch TV before bed," she instructed, "He can read until…"

"Go change!"

Katie laughed at his take charge attitude and gratefully went into the bedroom to change into a tank top and pajama pants. By the time she finished washing her face and brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she walked back out into the bedroom and wasn't surprised to see Steve sitting on the edge of her bed. He smiled as she approached him hesitantly.

"You look like a little girl," he murmured as she sat down next to him on the bed, "with your face all clean and shiny." Steve touched her face with one hand, his thumb stroking beneath one of my dark-circled eyes. "Tired girl," he whispered.

She flushed and scolded, "I'm not a child."

"I know that," he replied softly as he eased her closer, his arms warm and secure, shoring her balance. "You're a strong, smart woman. But even strong women need help sometimes."

His arms tightened around her until she had no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder. It was so quiet in the room. There was nothing but the sound of his breathing, and hers, and the hum of the air-conditioning vent.

Sweet Lord, he smelled good.

Steve's eyes seemed to bore into her, as if reading all that she wanted to say, yet he didn't offer any more words of comfort or support. So she simply gazed up at him as she shakily and hesitantly allowed him to lay her gently down in the middle of her bed and curl his body protectively around hers. Together they laid in quiet stillness until she lifted her hand from where it had lain on his arm and traced a line across to his heart with her index fingertip. Her touch was soft, and he tried in vain to stop his eyelids from half closing.

"This is what happened on the night we first met," she whispered, resting her hand on his heart, "I held your heart in my hands in order to keep you alive. I should have known then that my life was about to change."

Katie wasn't sure what force drew her to touch his heart, wasn't sure when exactly these whirlwind emotions had sprung up but they were hitting her hard and fast. She couldn't remember the last time she had given leave to her emotions and simply felt so much. It was like getting caught in a blizzard of feelings, and she had the small inclination that he was feeling the same. She noted how his eyelids dropped a little as she touched him, and could feel her face flushing in response. As her fingertip moved to stroke his face, Steve's free hand rose quickly to catch hers and held it back against his heart. Katie could feel it beating beneath her fingers…steady and strong. She searched his eyes for a reason, her eyebrows dipping but not with their usual sternness. Just curiously. He smiled and leaned forward that extra half an inch.

He caught her lips and pressed his to hers. The kiss was gentle at first, but when she responded, tipping her head up to his and her eyes closing, he let passion take him. She slid her head sideways, as his hands dropped to her waist and slid around her, pulling her gently closer and his eyes closing too. Her hands were then free to slide around his neck and curl into his dark brown hair. As she drank in the taste and smell of all that was Steve McGarrett, Katie's senses went into overdrive and the elation she felt was unmistakable. She had felt this only once before in her life.

With Jimmy.

When their kiss ended, he bit at his lower lip, not taking his eyes from Katie's. He squinted, staring intently at her, as if her eyes somehow held the answers to…everything. He held her gaze and he felt something – something spark inside of him. The faintest smile spread across his lips, but then it was gone.

He felt it, too, Katie realized, whatever **it** was.

To hold and to be held, to kiss and to be kissed, to embrace and to be embraced, to feel and to be felt...to love and to be loved. Every person seeks to be complete and there is a person for everyone out there; everyone has a soul mate.

And that was how they fell asleep...finding comfort from a horrible day in each other's arms.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three – The Inevitable Morning After**

"_When I lay with you_

_I could stay there_

_Close my eyes_

_Feel you here forever_

_You and me together_

_Nothing is better_

_So I set fire to the rain,_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face,_

_Well, it burned while I cried_

_'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!"_

~lyrics from Set Fire to the Rain by Adele

_Sunday morning…_

Katie Giordano stretched her arms over her head...the movements relaxed and slow and feline-like...as her back arched and her shoulders popped.

_Mmmm, that felt so good_, she thought silently to herself as a smile came to her face. And her bed was nice and comfy on this lazy Sunday morning. She felt so well rested it was crazy. After the day she'd had yesterday, she'd known that she would sleep well, but never did she think she would have the best night sleep of her life. She just felt so warm and safe, something which hadn't happened in a very long time. She rolled over onto her side, opened her eyes to glance out the window and tried to guess what time it was as she lifted her head off the impossible softness of the pillow. The light slanted in through the glass and she could tell from its position that she had slept far beyond her usual time. The doctor sighed contentedly and started to get out of bed when the arm draped around her waist suddenly tightened its grip.

Katie froze in her spot as she suddenly remembered that in a moment of emotional and physical weakness she had fallen asleep in Steve McGarrett's arms. And what had occurred between them during the night had not been physical or sexual, but it had been the most intimate night she had spent in a very long time.

The petite brunette pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she slowly entangled herself from Steve's embrace and quietly slipped into the safe and empty confines of her master bathroom. Closing the door firmly behind her, Katie sat on the edge of her tub as she let the water for her shower begin to heat up. Stepping gingerly under the warm spray, the trauma surgeon let the water wash through her hair as she closed her eyes.

What was it about the former Navy SEAL that she couldn't get out of her head? Was it that he flirted with her nonstop? Or was it his drop dead gorgeous looks? Or maybe it was that smile of his that seemed so little boy-like and innocent, but made him look so amazingly perfect that she wanted to grab him and kiss him. Smiling despite herself, she thought about that little freckle on the side of Steve's nose and the way his breathing pattern changed when he was sleeping. She opened her eyes wide as she quickly spun her body around, the spray hitting her chest in a rush.

"Son of a bitch!" she declared in annoyance as she finally let herself succumb to the inevitable conclusion she had been trying to deny since she and Steve met.

She was falling for Steve McGarrett! And she was falling hard.

Dropping a dollop of citrus scented shampoo into her palm, Katie began to massage it into the wet strands of her hair more vigorously than she normally would have, not even noticing how rough she was being. She couldn't believe she had missed the signs. The way her skin would prickle with the lightest swipe of his fingers on hers; the way her heart rate quickened whenever he was near; the throbbing sensation in her center when she even thought about kissing him. He was the complete package, essentially her total opposite, but somehow still her complete equal.

Lonely wasn't really the word to describe her, she thought, so that couldn't be the reason for her attraction to someone who was so obviously completely wrong for her. She had so many amazing people in her life. Everything in her life began with her family who loved and supported her, and friends who never failed to make her smile. Being surrounded by so many people isn't exactly the environment of lonely people. There was always someone around for her to talk to, to vent out her frustrations, and to laugh with.

_I'm not lonely_, Katie concluded as she massaged her favorite body scrub all over her skin. She had been acquainted with the feeling of loneliness before...the days following Jimmy's death, her first few weeks in Virginia without him...so she knew that whatever it was that she was feeling lately, loneliness wasn't it. What she was feeling, she deduced, was a sense of incompletion. Her family saw this, her friends could see it...hell, even her ten year old son was aware that there was a horribly big part of her that was missing, and had been missing since the day Jimmy closed his beautiful eyes forever. Katie had searched everywhere for that something or someone that would make her whole...but nothing material satisfied her need for completion, and every relationship she'd had in the past eleven years left her feeling more and more incomplete.

In truth, she knew deep down inside her that she was yearning for someone in her life. She wanted someone to hold her, to make her feel loved. She needed someone to make her complete, to complement her. She wanted someone to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and make her feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.

This need to be whole drove her nearly insane sometimes.

And into her insanity stepped Steven John McGarrett.

He came crashing into her world...literally...and it was as though she'd met her match. Katie had observed him long enough to know that he needed someone just like she did and that his daredevil ways were just a way to cover himself from admitting that he was also seeking a human and emotional connection. She had seen it in him when he looked at her son, she had heard it in his voice, and she had felt it in his embrace. What's more, Steve sensed her incompletion as much as Katie sensed his need to have someone to hold. He wanted someone to hold, she wanted to be held by someone. They happened to be together at the right place and the right time.

To hold and be held. And last night when he held her...she felt complete.

Resting her forehead against the marble wall of her shower, Katie knew that everything in her life was about to get more complicated. The way Steve McGarrett looked at her made her whole body spark with fire. The way he spoke to her made her knees weak. The way he flirted with her made her feel things in her body she had long considered dormant. He made her feel like a woman. A sexy, irresistible, fearless woman.

Pulling herself together, she stepped out of the shower and set about getting ready for the day. Opening the bathroom door a little bit to alleviate the steam that accumulated from her shower, Katie began to run her fingers through her towel dried hair.

From the bed, Steve lazily opened one eye and caught the arousing sight of Katie's reflection in the large bathroom mirror. The most amazing thing he had ever seen was the naked semi-silhouette of Mary Katherine Giordano's form in the early morning light.

He vaguely registered her slipping out of his arms and tiptoeing to the adjoining bathroom. Through his contented slumber, he hazily listened to the sound of the bath water running and simply enjoyed the presence of someone getting ready for the day in the quiet stillness of the bedroom. He had never watched a woman put herself together in the morning and he kind of enjoyed watching Katie's routine. Steve stretched lazily and then cracked his eyes open just in time to see her peel her towel from around her body and drop it to the floor.

And there she stood…like a masterpiece of ancient art, posed exclusively for him, and without her knowledge. She was flesh and blood artistry in his presence.

The gorgeous doctor leaned over to fish her bra out of her pile of clothes and wrapped it around herself, then fastened it deftly, and adjusted her generous flesh in the lacy red cups. Enjoying the show she was unknowingly putting on for him, the Commander thought back to all that he had learned about the elusive Dr. Giordano the night before. It had been a nightmare of a day for her. He was sure that all she wanted to do when she got home was drink the day away and then drown her sorrows in a hot bath. But when she had seen him standing in her kitchen cooking French Toast, Katie hadn't even tried to send him away. Not that he would have left her alone anyway. But she had allowed him to stay and share in her home, her son, and her pain. He hadn't had any words to comfort her, just reminders of the harsh truth of their chosen professions. But she hadn't needed words...she just needed him and whatever he could provide. He had wanted to be strong for her. But the truth was that her tears had broken his heart, and he had only held himself together because he knew she needed him to.

Katie continued dressing with her back to him, sleek and elegant and completely unaware that she had an audience, as she rifled through the pile of intermingled clothes, looking for something. He watched as she stepped into a pair of lacy red panties and pulled them up over her naked bottom and thighs and then repeated the motion with a pair of khaki capri pants. He kept his eyes almost closed as she turned and began searching for something to put on over that pretty red bra. He smiled internally as she found an emerald green shirt and slipped it over her head...the combination making him think of Christmas. And sex. Two of his very favorite things.

Turning back to the mirror over her sink, she pulled a small hairbrush through her wet, chestnut locks and contemplated fastening it up into a ponytail with a band, but then decided against it. Steve grinned as she fussed with her hair and make-up, ignorantly unaware of how beautiful she was without any effort at all.

As if she could feel his eyes on her, Katie suddenly turned around to catch him watching her.

"Good morning." he said in a low voice, still groggy from sleep.

"Good morning." she returned sharply...sharper than she had intended...as she walked back into the bedroom. "Did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep that I've had in my entire life," Steve answered honestly, knowing that having his body wrapped protectively around hers had instilled in him a sense of contentment that he had never experienced before.

Katie caught the tone of his voice and looked down at him with soft eyes as she said, "Thank you, Steve. Last night was..." she fumbled with her words, paused, and then simply said, "Thank you for being here."

"I don't think either of us needed to be alone," he answered softly.

"But you need to go now," she said quickly, moving over to her bedroom door. "Matt is not going to understand this..."

"What is *_this_*?" he interrupted quietly.

They locked eyes for the briefest of moments before Katie whispered honestly, "I don't know."

Steve didn't argue with her...nor did he agree with her assessment of the situation. They simply hovered in the silence of the bedroom for a few moments before Katie turned toward the door and said, "You should probably get up. If we're lucky, Matt might still be asleep and he won't have to know that you are still here..."

"Because that would be a bad thing, right?"

Katie took a deep breath and said, "Steve, my son has gotten it into his head that you and I are going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Something like this...finding you here in the morning and knowing that you never left...is only going to add fire to the crazy matchmaking ideas in his head. I don't want him to get his hopes up..."

She was heading out the door when his arm snaked out from under the covers, grabbed her and pulled her back down to the bed, rolling her onto her back. She gasped in surprise and then, in spite of herself, began to laugh at him, loud and belly-deep as he covered her body with his and began to attack her neck with eager lips and teeth. Her neck arched, as she put up a half hearted struggle, but he pinned her down easily and kissed down over her green t-shirt covered breasts.

"_Not_..." he muttered, "..._such a_..." kissing her all over, "..._crazy_..." pulling her closer, "..._matchmaking_..." breathing her in, "..._idea_..."

She looked up at him, flushed and giggly under him, and suddenly her eyes sparkled – a momentary warning – before she grunted with effort and flipped him onto his back in one of the best self defense moves her older brothers had ever taught her.

What a woman.

Katie smiled down at him smugly and adjusted her seat on his hips, carefully. He hummed and reached for her, smoothing his hands up her cotton clad thighs and over her hips. She tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears and leaned down to kiss him, her mouth taking control of his in an assertive kiss.

"Look, McGarrett…" she muttered, straightening slowly, "you are not playing fair…"

"Neither are you," he grinned, pressing his hips up into her and letting her feel his arousal. He watched her eyes flutter closed fleetingly and her tongue come out to wet her lips.

"I really do have to get downstairs," she told him, as she bent over and nipped at his ear lobe with her teeth. He felt her grin as she dragged her cheek along his, her warm breath coating his ear. "Matt…"

"I know, I know," he said as they shared a smile and then he sighed deeply, resigning himself to her departure, but didn't let go of her hands. "It's a good thing I like that kid."

Suddenly, she pulled back and hastily got off him, grinning slyly. He propped himself up on his elbows and watched with a smoldering gaze as she straightened her shirt and turned towards the door. He groaned a tortured groan and dropped his head back on the pillow as she headed out the door, telling him to hurry up.

Katie found her son down in the family room, watching a rerun of 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader' and answering all of the questions before most of the contestants.

"Mornin' sunshine," she chirped, pasting a carefree look on her face as she leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of his head. "You're up early."

"It's almost ten o'clock." Matt informed her, never taking his eyes off the teen-aged contestants on the television screen. "You slept really late."

"I must have been tired," she responded lamely, moving into the kitchen to pour herself some orange juice.

The youngster tore himself away from the t.v. at the tone in her voice and turned to look at her with worried eyes as he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am." His mother assured him with a nod and a smile. "All I needed was a good night's sleep."

"Good," he said, his lips widening into a grin. "You were kind of out of it when you got home. And you were really quiet during dinner."

"As much as I try to leave things at the hospital most of the time, sometimes I just can't." she told him honestly. "And the deaths of those kids just hit me really hard, I guess." She smiled down at him and brightened her tone as she asked, "Are you hungry? If you get dressed really quick, I think we could make it to the The Cream Pot for Sunday morning brunch..."

Katie was just finishing her suggestion when the sound of feet bounding down the stairs caught Matt's attention. He looked confused at first but when he saw Steve descend the staircase, his grin widened and he asked, "Commander Steve?"

"Good morning, sport," Steve said lightly, stepping into the family room with the mother and son.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked, and then before either adult could answer he added, "Did you sleep over? With my mom?" Looking at his mother with wide, expectant eyes, he asked quickly, "Is he your boyfriend now?" A triumphant look came over him as he said, "See mom, I knew that if you just gave Steve a chance than you would..."

"He's not my boyfriend," Katie stated flatly, finally finding her voice and avoiding the Commander's gaze.

Confusion flashed in Matt's eyes, but the smile never left his face as he pointed out, " But he slept over."

_How the hell was she going to explain this to him_? Katie wondered as she rubbed her face with her hands and muttered, "Matt..."

"Is this going to be the sex talk?"

Steve laughed out loud as Katie exclaimed in disbelief, "What?"

But Matt was unfazed by both of their reactions as he continued, "Because grandpa and I already had that talk."

"What?" Katie repeated, stunned by this new information.

"He told me not to tell you," the ten year old said sheepishly, "but we talked about it last summer when Aunt Jenny was pregnant."

"And what did grandpa say?" she asked, trying to recover her senses.

"That Aunt Jenny got pregnant when Uncle Scott got home from being deployed…"

"About sex, Matthew." Katie interrupted tightly, leaning against the kitchen counter so that she wouldn't fall over from shock and embarrassment. "What did your grandfather say about sex?"

"Oh." Matt said simply as Steve tried his best not to burst out laughing again at the exchange between mother and son. "He said that when two people love each other very much, sex is a way that they express that..."

Katie groaned at his explanation and silently vowed to shoot her father with one of his own guns, but then realized where Matt was going with this line of thinking. Quickly, she interrupted, "Steve and I are not in love." Raising her eyebrow at Matt and continuing to avoid Steve's stare, she added emphatically, "And we did not have sex." The doctor took a deep breath and rested her head in her hand as she muttered, "God, I can't believe I am having this conversation with my 10 year old son..."

"But he slept over," Matt reminded his mother as Steve continued to watch the scene with interest.

"Yes, because...I was upset," Katie tried to explain. "And..."

"We fell asleep," Steve said, finally jumping into the conversation. "Yesterday was a long, hard day and we were both sad and tired and we ended up falling asleep..."

"In my mom's room?" Matt asked the leader of Five-0, in an almost accusatorial tone. But before Steve could answer, he added slyly, "I saw you kiss her out on the deck before dinner."

"Well..." This time it was Steve's turn to be at a loss for words. He had always prided himself on not having too many 'morning after' conversations in his lifetime, so he certainly wasn't prepared for this little exchange with Katie's son.

"Matthew," Katie suddenly said sharply before raising her eyebrow at him and asking, "Do you remember the conversation we had about me not having to explain all of my choices to you because I am the adult and you are the child?" Matt nodded as Steve bit back his grin at her attempt to take control of the conversation and she continued, "Well, this is one of those times when neither Steve or I are going to explain ourselves to you."

But Matt was not going to give up that easily as he asked, "So is he your boyfriend or not?"

"No."

"But you like each other!" Matt exclaimed in exasperation. "And you have lots of stuff in common and you think he's a good guy and Commander Steve thinks you're pretty." He looked from his mother to Steve and continued, "And now you've been on dates together and you made us French Toast and you kissed her! Plus you slept over...in her room!" He slid his eyes back to his mother and asked in frustration, "Isn't that what a boyfriend does?"

Katie opened her mouth to respond and then immediately shut it again as she thought about how to answer him. Finally, unable to process any coherent thoughts, she mumbled, "Matt, I've already told you that it's complicated..."

"Stop saying that!" Matt shouted. "It's not complicated! You're making it complicated! So, just stop it!"

Katie and Steve both exchanged looks at his sudden outburst as the doctor muttered under her breath at the Commander, "I told you that this was going to happen."

Steve ignored her and concentrated on Matt as he asked quietly, "Well, then what do you want us to say?"

"Say that you like each other!" Matt told him desperately. "Say that you want to be her boyfriend."

"It's not that easy..."

"Yes, it is!" he interrupted. "So just go out on date and figure it all out." Matt shook his head in exasperation and angrily stomped back upstairs to his room as he muttered his parting shot, "Everybody else seems to be able to do it."

The two adults simply watched him disappear up the stairs in stunned silence. And then quietly, before he could stop himself, Steve said, "Maybe he has a point."

Katie turned to look at him and they locked eyes once again as she considered the suggestion in his tone. Finally pasting a look of complete innocence on her face, she asked "What did you have in mind?"

Grinning sexily at her, he said, "I've heard that La Mer puts on one heck of a romantic, candlelight dinner for two. A cozy table in a quiet corner, ocean views, a little champagne, soft music and moonlight dancing, fancy french food followed by some chocolate covered strawberries..."

"And where did you hear that?"

"From all of those people who seem to be able to figure things out," Steve teased, throwing Matt's words at her. "You know...Chin and Malia, my partner, Danny, and his new girlfriend."

"Ah," the doctor mused, trying hard not to give in to the smile playing on her lips, "those people."

"So," he asked with a grin, "what do you say? Should we take the advice of a 10 year old who got the sex talk from his grandfather and have dinner together? Like a real date?"

"A real date?" Katie repeated, pretending to mull it over. Finally giving in to the smile that was determined to snake across her lips, she teased, "I guess I owe you one, so I'm willing to give it a shot."


	24. Chapter 24

_**Hi friends! Sorry for the delay. Actually, I had the chapter uploaded last week but I must have uploaded it on a night when the sight was going haywire because it didn't save any of the changes I made after it was uploaded. And I got frustrated, pitched a hissy fit, and haven't been back since! Haha...I'm such a child! Anyway, hissy fit is over and here is the new chapter. It is kind of short, but I hope it will tide us over during another week of Hawaii Five-0 repeats! And shirik, the next chapter is yours...I know you've been waiting for it! But enjoy this one first! And as always, thanks so much for being loyal readers...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter <strong>**Twenty Four - First Date Jitters**

_"We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen._

_But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find."_

_- _Anonymous

_The following Friday night…_

"Now, I know I have never been to the best restaurant in town, but I don't think that the dress code at La Mer includes scrubs and sensible shoes," Malia teased, sidling up next to Katie at the nurse's station counter. Dr. Giordano looked up and grinned at her friend as the pediatrician continued, "It seems more like an Armani cocktail dress and Manolo Blahnik heels kind of place."

"Actually," the surgeon teased back, looking back down at the paperwork she was working on, "My mom always says that hospital green goes with my eyes."

"I don't think it will matter what you will wear," Malia replied with a laugh, busying herself by straightening up the counter. "You could wear a potato sack and flip flops and Steve McGarrett will still think that you are the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen. That man is crazy about you." She nudged Katie's shoulder with her own and giggled. "I still can't believe you finally agreed to go out with him."

Katie shook her head and sighed, "Me neither. It was a moment of weakness topped off by a temper tantrum from my son…"

"Liar," her friend interrupted with a knowing grin. "This has been coming since the moment he hit you with Danny's car. It feels like it took forever for the two of you to get here...not to mention a gunshot wound to Steve's chest. But mark my words, once he spends an evening in the company of the fabulous Mary Katherine James Giordano, he'll be begging for more. Much more. You know what they say about not being able to resist after just one.

"You make me sound like a potato chip."

Malia laughed and leaned on the counter, watching her friend work before she sighed, "I just wish you had waited two more weeks and then I could have won some mad money. Then Chin and I could have gone with you. But I had to go and bet on the two of you not going out until next month. I guess I thought you were much more stubborn than you really are. Or else I underestimated Steve's adorable persistance..."

Katie finally looked up at Malia and asked, "You have been placing bets on when Steve and I would go out?"

"Most of the staff is in on it...except for those jealous nurses who wanted to be the ones Steve asked out." Malia's eyes twinkled with mischief as she said, "The pool got up over $300."

Katie shook her head in disbelief. The last thing she wanted was to be the focus of hospital gossip. There were already some people around Honolulu Medical who resented her for being so young and holding such a prestigious position at the hospital. But she couldn't resist asking, "So, who won?"

"Danny."

"Steve's partner?" Katie asked in disbelief. "Detective Williams was betting on us?"

"Honey, he started it…"

"He doesn't even work here!"

"Danny started placing bets back when Steve was still your patient…the two of you were kind of obvious even back then." Malia laughed as Katie again shook her head. "Are you changing here?"

Katie nodded and said, "We figured it was easier, since I had to work a double shift today."

"What time?"

"Um...seven, I think?"

"That's in an hour!" Malia exclaimed, taking the pen out of the surgeon's hand. "Give me those charts and go change!"

Katie laughed as her friend shooed her out from behind the nurse's station and headed for the women's locker room where she had laid her clothes out in advance this morning. Removing her toiletries from her gym bag, the doctor found herself taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself. She knew she had no earthly reason to be this nervous - this was Steve McGarrett, for crying out loud. That had already, for all intents and purposes, slept together. He had seen her at her worst. Which was why she really wanted him to see her at her best.

_Dinner at La Mer_, the little voice in her head reminded her as she ran the water for a quick shower. The most expensive and romantic restaurant on the island. Katie had been a little surprised when he told her that was where he had made the reservations. She guessed that he figured it had taken her long enough to say yes to his dinner invitation, so he was going to make sure it was worth the effort.

Katie smiled as she stepped out of the shower and glanced over at her dress hanging from her locker handle. She had "dragged" her mother out with her to find it and knew it was the one as soon as she saw it. A twist on the classic little, black dress, it had an empire waist and delicate pink embroidery across the top, with thin spaghetti straps climbing over her shoulders. When she tried it on, the dress hugged her every curve, hinted at her cleavage, and made her feel like every inch of her was gorgeous. She knew the look on the Commander's face was going to be well worth the money she had overspent on it.

She quickly blow dried her hair, letting her dark tresses fall across her shoulders. She fretted over the style for a while before deciding to leave it as it was, silky and hanging down around her face and shoulders. Pulling her accessories out of her bag, part of her laughed at herself for packing her favorite Victoria's Secret underwear set this morning. She had, after all, no intention of Steve seeing it when their date was over, but she rationalized that there was no harm in feeling sexy even if she was the only one who knew it. As she stepped into the lacy panties and fastened the strapless bra, her mother's lessons stayed firm in her mind…which meant that everything came before the dress - stockings, which she prayed would stay up (because tugging at her thighs during dinner would most likely be unattractive), black strappy heels, earrings, and careful touches of not-too-obvious makeup.

Katie peered into the bathroom mirror and gave her reflection one last look. Deciding she needed another coat of shine on her lips, the surgeon rummaged around in her purse until she found her favorite tube of lip gloss. As she leaned over the porcelain sink and began to apply the shiny color to her lips, she noticed that her normally steady hand was shaking slightly.

"Get a grip, Mary Katherine," she muttered to herself, pressing her lips together and placing the cap back on her lip gloss. "It's not like this is the stupidest thing you've ever done in your life. It's just the stupidest thing you've done in the last twenty-four hours."

With exactly five minutes to go and her heart pounding in a completely irrational manner, she reached for a delicate diamond and white gold necklace her father had given her when she'd graduated from medical school. Settling it around her neck, she reached with trembling hands for the perfume she seldom used and dabbed it gently on her wrists and throat. After another long moment and a deep sigh, Katie pulled the dress from its hanger. It was of the kind that draped neatly down over her body, the silky lining making it slip perfectly into place. She stood in front of the full-length mirror to zip up her dress, twisting anxiously to both sides to examine the view.

It was then that she remembered that the dress had a zipper in back, which happened to be just out of her reach.

"Damn." Katie muttered, thinking back on the day she tried it on and had to have her mother help her zip it up. But she had been so enamored with the dress that she didn't give that small detail another thought.

Until now.

As if on cue, Katie heard Steve's footsteps in the hall moments before his knuckles rapped on the door and he called out, "Katie? You decent?"

"Hey, Steve," she said after she realized she had no choice and moved over to open the door, trying her hardest to keep her face calm. But once she had given him the once over, she had a harder time with casual. The man looked good in a suit. Really good. And he was carrying flowers, which he handed her gallantly but not too theatrically as she stepped back to allow him access to the locker room.

"Plumeria," she breathed, caught a little off guard by his sweet gesture, and lifted them to her face to inhale the strong, sweet fragrance. "They're my absolute favorite."

Steve looked smug and thoroughly delighted with himself as he replied, "I was going to go with a rose, but that seemed so cliché, and I liked the way..."

When Katie opened the door a little wider, the words died on his lips, his eyes widened, and the doctor knew for sure that the dress was an A plus. His sentence dribbled off pathetically when he did a double take on her, taking in the simple black cocktail dress that hugged to curves that Steve had greatly admired many times before.

"Wow," he said softly. "The flowers match the ones on your dress and I...wow."

"Yeah?" she asked, unable to control the smile that crossed her face. It was nothing short of amazing, the way he was looking at her and she felt herself begin to blush.

"Don't fish," he told her with a smirk, recovering from his moment of speechlessness. "You know how good you look."

"I think I'll look a little better when it's zipped," she answered, looking helplessly over her shoulder and then back up at Steve.

The former SEAL raised an eyebrow at her obvious embarrassment as he teased, "Well, I was hoping that I could demonstrate my well honed zipper skills at the end the evening, but I'll take what I can get."

"Get your mind out of the gutter and help me with the zipper so that we're not late for dinner."

Steve grinned and commanded gently, "Turn around."

She turned her back to him, revealing a pale extended 'v' of soft skin down her spine. He swallowed and couldn't help but trace one finger down between her shoulder blades as she lifted her hair out of the way. Katie shivered as electrifying currents coursed through her at the sensation caused by his knuckle running down over the smooth skin of her back. His skin was warm against hers, and he dragged the zipper up slowly, letting his hands rest on her shoulders for a moment, his lips close to her ear.

"Exhale, doctor," he whispered before turning her back around to face him.

"Okay," Katie answered, her face completely flushed. "Ready?"

His eyes skimmed her admiringly, drifting over her modest but alluring dress yet again and settling once more on her face. And then without guile, he told her, "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied, managing to keep her voice even. Another light blush was the only indication that this meant something to her on more than a friendly level. Feeling his eyes on her and pretending she didn't, she reached down to the locker room bench to retrieve her clutch and her wrap. Katie turned back to him with a tremulous smile and bravely said, "Okay, let's do this."

Steve took her wrap from her and held it for her to slip over her shoulders, then guided her out the door with a hand at the small of her back. If Katie didn't know any better, she could have sworn the entire staff was watching them walk out to the elevators. And Detective Danny Williams was somewhere out there happily counting his winnings.

They didn't speak as they walked out the front doors and toward the parking lot. When they arrived at where his truck was parked, Steve couldn't stop himself before he pulled the beautiful doctor into his arms, his mouth covering hers in a passionate kiss. He heard her whimper softly as he slipped his tongue past her parted her lips to tangle with hers.

Katie melted into him and returned his ardent kiss with equal passion as she wound her arms about his neck, threading her fingers in his thick hair, her tongue mating wildly with his. She moaned as one of Steve's hands slid into her hair and the other trailed down her back to pull her closer as the kiss deepened.

After several long minutes, the kiss slowly tapered off until they were standing in each other's arms, their foreheads pressed together as they tried to catch their breath.

"I thought I would get the goodnight kiss out of the way so we didn't have to worry about it later," Steve finally said in a voice husky with emotion.

"Good thinking," Katie replied, drawing in a deep breath. But before she could say anything else, they heard a buzzing coming from down around their hips. Groaning, she muttered, "Not again."

"This time it's me," Steve told her with a frown, stepping back from their embrace and holding his phone up to his ear. He listened intently, hung up and then apologized, "Katie, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," she said with a slight smile to hide her disappointment, "It's the nature of our chosen professions." Looking up at him with concern, she then asked, "Is it something big?"

Shaking his head, the former SEAL replied easily, "Kono's just got some information on a case we've been working on. It should be pretty routine, but we have to move on it tonight before our suspect realizes we are on to him and leaves the island." Looking back down at her, he offered, "I can drop you off at home…"

"No," Katie replied, shaking her head quickly, "I think Malia's shift is over and she can take me home. You have to go save the universe."

"Yeah," he agreed dejectedly and then added, "I was really looking forward to tonight. Even before I got a look at you in that dress." The doctor laughed as he pulled her in for another kiss, this one sweeter and full of promises of things to come. When their lips parted, he asked breathily, "Rain check?"

"Definitely," she agreed and then stepped away to watch him climb into his truck. As he started the engine, Katie impulsively called out, "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Um…" she stumbled, not really sure why she called out to him and finally shook her head as she answered, "Be careful."


	25. Chapter 25

_**Hi gang! I'm sorry that some of you were disappointed in the last chapter, but I have a method to my madness. There is a reason why the date couldn't continue and I think the events in this chapter and the next one will move our couple's relationship along much farther than dinner and dancing ever could. I hope you'll forgive me by the time we get to Chapter Twenty Seven! Please trust me!**_

_**On a completely different note, I have a few ideas running around in my head for a new fic and I wanted to put them out there into the fanfic universe before I began to outline and get started. I know quite a few people reading this fic are also fans of my fic The Ex Factor and it's heroine, Harper James McGarrett. I have a few ideas for a Harper/Steve fic and wanted to see which one more people wanted to see happen first. The first idea is sort of a prequel to The Ex Factor detailing how Steve and Harper first met. It wouldn't really be a Five-0 fic because it would take place ten years before Steve ever joined Five-0 and would center more on Steve and the James family. The second fic I have in mind would pick up a year or so after the events of The Ex Factor but before the epilogue. That fic has Harper and Jack working with Steve and the team at Five-0. I don't want to give away too many plot details (mainly because they are mostly plot bunnies running around in my head), but which fic would you rather read? Leave me a msg in the reviews or PM me if you have a preference. I'll probably end up writing both, but can't decide which to do first.**_

_**Anyway, back to this fic...this chapter is dedicated to shirik, who came up with the idea and let me run with it. I hope I did your idea justice and you are happy with how it came out! Thanks for being such a loyal reader and friend. Enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Five – As Seen on TV<strong>

_"It was once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to."_

~Author Unknown

_Four hours later…_

"I can't believe you never saw any of the Harry Potter movies."

Katie padded back into the family room with a freshly re-filled glass of wine and a newly popped bowl of popcorn as she looked over at her son and sarcastically told him, "I guess I was busy doing other things."

"You bought me the books," Matt reminded her with a grin.

"Yes, I did," she agreed before asking, "And how many of them have you actually read?"

"The first three."

"Out of?"

"Seven," he answered sheepishly, taking a sip of his soda.

Settling onto the couch and glancing at the television, Katie grinned over at him and asked, "And what is this one called?"

"_Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_," the ten year told her, reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn from the bowl and shoving it all into his mouth. When he had finished chewing, he added, "And the next one is called _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_."

"There's another one?" Katie asked, resisting the urge to groan out loud as she pulled her feet up underneath her and settled in for more of mother-son movie night. They had been watching the little English wizard and his friends for what felt like a hundred hours already and now they were going to watch another one. Not that they were bad movies, but the doctor's mind was elsewhere.

Because while Katie was sitting on her couch sipping wine and watching Harry Potter, Steve was out there somewhere doing God knows what. But they both should have been laughing and flirting and enjoying some of the best food and wine on the island. And she should have been wearing a dress that hugged her curves just enough to make the Commander's eyes light up and cause him to kiss her senseless before they had even left the parking lot. But instead the dress was hanging neatly on the back of her bedroom door and Katie was clad in her favorite pair of denim shorts and an old Dr. Seuss t-shirt.

Which didn't put her in the best of moods.

She had been okay when he had gotten the call interrupting their date and had to leave. She had been disappointed, but okay. But in the hours since, Katie had a chance to stew on the fact that she was really looking forward to their date. More than she cared to admit…

"Mom?"

"Hmmmm?" Katie asked, suddenly remembering that her son was sitting at the other end of the couch. She tried to shake her foul mood away and took another sip of her wine.

"I asked you if you understood what happened with the time travel," Matt repeated, looking at her expectantly.

"Sure," his mother answered absentmindedly, turning her attention back to the television. After a few minutes, she asked, "Why are there two Hermione's?"

"Mom!"

"Matt!" she shot back, not quite sure why he was suddenly upset with her.

"That's the time travel that you just said that you understood," her son told her pointedly, "You missed the whole part with Hermione and the time turner and that's a big part of the movie! I thought you wanted to watch these with me."

"I do…"

"Could've fooled me," Matt grumped, leaning over to steal the popcorn bowl from her lap and keep it for himself. "You're not even watching. And then you complained that there's another one to watch after this. Well, newsflash mom…there are five more after this. Grandma and Grandpa gave me the complete set for Christmas."

"Eight movies?" Katie asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise and then muttered, "I'm gonna need more wine…"

"Never mind," Matt interrupted with a frown and picked up the remote control to click off the movie, "I'm gonna go watch in my room."

"No, don't do that!" Katie protested, suddenly overcome with remorse for her bad mood and behavior. It wasn't Matty's fault that she had a crummy evening. "Matty baby, I'm sorry. I have been a real pain in the butt since I got home and that is not your fault." The ten year old crossed his arms over his chest and set a stubborn look on his face as he turned to look at his mother. _God_, she thought, _he looks just like his father when he does that._ Taking a deep breath, she tried again, "Listen, you're right. I haven't been paying attention and I missed the most important part of the movie, which is the most important part of movie night. So let's just take a little break so that I can clear my head and then we'll settle in for twenty straight hours of movie watching. We won't even sleep and we'll…"

Matt's interest suddenly piqued and his eyes twinkled mischievously as he interrupted, "Wanna know what will help you clear your head?"

His mother eyed him suspiciously as she asked, "What?"

"Making s'mores bars," he answered with a knowing grin, "Making them and then eating them is just what you need right now. Chocolate, marshmallow fluff…it'll make you feel so much better."

"And it doesn't hurt that they're your favorite dessert, does it?"

"Mom, I'm only thinking of you…"

Katie burst out laughing at her son's smart aleck reaction and finally asked, "Do we have any marshmallow fluff?"

"Yes!" Matt yelled, forgetting his disappointment and bolting into the kitchen to search the pantry for ingredients to make his favorite snack. Katie simply shook her head at how easy it was to ease his anger and got up to follow him into the kitchen. Picking up the box of graham crackers, he quipped, "Why don't you smash the graham cracker crumbs and pretend they are the bad guys who ruined your date with Commander Steve tonight."

Chuckling at him and feeling better already, Katie agreed and did as she was told. While she pounded out her frustrations on the innocent pack of graham crackers, Matt clicked on the miniature television in the kitchen and informed his mother that he wanted to hear the weather report for Tuesday because his class was taking a trip to the maritime museum and if there was nice weather they could have lunch on the beach. Just as he was opening up the jar of marshmallow fluff, he glanced up at the television and exclaimed, "Hey mom, there's Commander Steve and his team!"

Katie looked up at the miniature television in time to see Steve and his partner, Danny, leading a handcuffed man toward an awaiting police cruiser. Gone was the suit from earlier in the evening and he was definitely in work mode in his dark t-shirt and cargo pants. She tried to ignore the bullet proof vest and the weapon in his thigh holster, although she was glad he was protected. She had to admit that something about the stubborn set of his jaw and the body armor that he wore for the arrest made him look kind of sexy. And dangerous.

Smiling wickedly to herself, she asked her son to turn up the television so that they could hear the details of how Steve had spent his evening.

"This morning we reported on the Orochimaru case," the pretty Polynesian news reporter stated as she looked seriously into the camera and then went on to explain that Orochimaru was a big business owner who had an underground sex slave business. It turns out that most of the sex slaves were missing people who had been taken at different ages and from different parts of Japan.

Shaking her head, Katie suddenly felt silly and shallow about pouting over having her night ruined by Steve's job. What he was doing was important…people's children were involved. And catching that madman was far more important than what they had planned.

"We are reporting again tonight with some new information," the reporter continued, "Orochimaru and his henchmen have been arrested by the Hawaii Five-0 task force headed by Hawaii native Steven McGarrett. Some of the victims have been rescued and identified, but HPD and the Five-0 team have a long night ahead of them as they try to get answers out of the notorious crime lord about the remaining victims."

As the news report went on, Matty looked up at her and remarked, "We should bring some s'mores bars to the Five-0 headquarters for Commander Steve and Uncle Chin. Sounds like they're going to need them more than we will."

Katie smiled and pulled her son in close for a squeeze. Kissing the top of his head, she asked quietly, "How did you get to be such a good kid, huh?"

"Beats the heck out of me," he replied with a laugh.

As Katie turned her attention back toward the television, she heard the sound that caused her world to stand still…

"Gun!" someone shouted, "Everybody get down!"

It came out of nowhere, the spray of gunfire and spatter of blood. Everything on the television screen was in chaos, the screams of the people all around filling the air as they fell to the ground one by one, ducking for cover.

The realization of what she was seeing hit Katie in an instant and a scream rose up in her throat as she grabbed Matty and hid his eyes from watching what was happening on the screen.

Screams. Sobs. Confusion.

Time itself seemed jaded. Colors erupted from nothing.

More screams. More gunshots.

_Steve_.

Katie's eyes searched the screen for some image of him, something to tell her that he was alright. The cameraman, probably sensing an Emmy for this kind of investigative journalism, was swinging his camera back and forth between the masked men taking the shots and the police officers who were trying to control the situation.

Yelling. Screaming. There was so much confusion.

Katie thought she caught a glimpse of Steve crouched behind one of the police cars, but things were happening too fast on the screen for her to know exactly what she was looking at.

"Mom?"

"Don't look, Matty," she whispered fiercely, pressing his face more securely into her chest so that she could be sure he wasn't watching, "Please don't look."

He didn't argue with her but a few moments later his muffled voice asked, "How is Commander Steve?"

"I don't know…"

"_Officer down! Officer down!"_

Slowly Katie turned her attention back toward the screen, but the camera was focused on the police officers who had taken control of the situation and were disarming the masked men. Suddenly the camera swung back to where another group of police officers were surrounding the officer who had gotten shot. Katie recognized Detective Williams' unmistakable hairdo as he was crouching down near the victim. Suddenly Chin came into the picture as he began barking orders and clearing the way for paramedics to cut through the crowd.

The reporters, who had come back on air as soon as the gunshots had stopped, were scrambling for information and talking into their headsets as they tried to get as much of the story as they could.

"Which officer is down?" the doctor heard the pretty reporter ask before she followed up the another question, "Is it Commander McGarrett?"

After that, all Katie could hear was her own ragged breathing and her heart thumping loudly in her ears. She clenched her fists, fingernails digging into the flesh of her palms. Her wine glass stood on the counter, forgotten. Katie glanced at the TV, hoping, begging, praying that nothing had happened like the last time Steve was in the middle of a gun fight.

_He was wearing a vest, _she told herself. She had seen him wearing a vest. _But a vest wouldn't protect him if he had gotten shot in the head…_

"Mom, you're hurting me."

Katie suddenly realized that she was clutching Matty with all of her might and the poor kid was smothered by her protection. As she let him go, the brunette noticed that she had stopped breathing at some point and now took a deep breath to relax herself. She stared at the television screen, following the people who were still shouting and running around the crime scene as she listened to the comments of the reporters. But as the ambulance pulled away, there was no new information being released to the press.

"There were a lot of people there, mom," Matt reminded her quietly, stepping away from her embrace but staying very close to her, "Maybe it wasn't Commander Steve who got shot. Maybe the reporter just said that because she knew his name and wanted to sound smart."

Katie nodded absently at him as she remembered the wine glass next to her and took a deep gulp, trying to calm down. She almost didn't hear the phone as it rang shrilly. It stopped, but then rang again. It was Matt who picked it up and answered.

"Mom," he said gently, holding the phone out to her, "It's Aunt Malia."

The surgeon grabbed the phone and barely had time to say hello before her best friend asked, "Were you watching the news? Please tell me you weren't watching the news."

"We both were."

"Oh God, sweetie," Malia said as she cursed into the phone, "I'm so sorry. But we don't really know anything yet…"

"I want to go to the hospital."

"They're not going to let you operate, if that's what he needs," Malia told her gently, "Everyone on duty knows the two of you are a couple now and they are not going to…"

"I don't care what they're going to let me do," Katie interrupted, "But I want to be there. I want…"

"Okay," her friend said, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to talk Katie out of this one, "But you shouldn't drive. I'll come get you. I can be there in two minutes."

Katie immediately hung up the phone and then began dialing her parents number. She was halfway through when Matt asked, "Who are you calling now?"

"Grandma and Grandpa," she retorted, not bothering to look up from the telephone, "Malia and I will drop you off on the way…"

"No way," Matty shot back, coming over and grabbing the phone out of her hands, "I'm going with you."

"No."

"Yes."

"Matthew…"

"You can't protect me from this," he told her, fire blazing from his eyes, "Commander Steve is my friend, too. In fact, he was my friend first. You are not the only one who gets to be worried about him." Hanging up the phone in defiance, he reiterated, "I'm going with you to the hospital."


	26. Chapter 26

_**Ask and you shall receive! I didn't want to keep you waiting too long! Enjoy...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Six – The Women Who Love Them<strong>

"_The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be._

_Because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap."_

- Mary Anne Radmacher

_Ten minutes later…_

Before Malia had even brought the car to a complete stop, Katie jumped out and ran toward the hospital doors. And Matt was hot on her heels.

"I'll go park the car and meet you upstairs," the pediatrician called to her friends retreating back. But Katie didn't even hear her. When Dr. Katie Giordano was focused on something, nothing could break her concentration.

And at that moment she was focused on finding Steve McGarrett.

"Nice tee shirt, Dr. G," one of the orderlies joked as Katie and Matt stepped through the automatic doors of the emergency room. "Is that a vintage Cat in the Hat…?"

Ignoring his question, the surgeon asked, "Where is Steve McGarrett?"

"Who?"

"Commander Steven J. McGarrett of Five-0," Katie repeated sharply, "He came in on the transport from the Orochimaru crime scene on Ala Moana Boulevard."

"I thought you had the night off?" the young man asked, suddenly realizing that she didn't look like herself. "What are you and the kid doing here?"

"It's…personal," she told him and it only took a quick look at the fear on her face before he was directing them up to the Shock Trauma Center on the second floor. But all they could tell them up there was that the chopper had arrived safely at the heliport and both patients were in the hands of a trauma resuscitation team.

"Which two patients?" Katie demanded of the young nurse at the desk.

"Are you here to see family, Dr. Giordano?" she asked nervously, glancing down at the computer screen in front of her to avoid Katie's angry glare.

"I don't know," she hissed, "because you won't tell me who…"

But before she could completely lose her cool, Malia rushed up to the desk and grabbed her friend before she did or said something that she would regret.

"Calm down and come here," Malia instructed as she ushered Katie into a beige waiting room with a fish tank and a table piled with tattered magazines. "Chin called me when I was running in from the parking lot. Steve and Kono were both transported here from the crime scene to be treated for gunshot wounds. He didn't know the extent of the damage because he didn't want to get in the way of the paramedics, but he and Danny will be here as soon as they get their prisoner secured. Steve would want it that way…"

"I don't like being on the other side of those doors, Mal," Katie interrupted, glancing over her shoulder at the double doors that led into the Shock Trauma unit. "And I don't like being treated with kid gloves."

"You know the protocols, Kate," Malia reminded her and before her friend could protest, she added, "Kono is Chin's cousin, so we are about a month away from being family. Let me go find out if they will give me any information."

Katie nodded in thanks and then wrapped her arms around Matt, who suddenly appeared next to her. Tightening his arms around her waist, he whispered, "It's going to be okay, mom."

She dropped a kiss on Matt's head and then followed him over to the chairs on the far wall. It was unnaturally quiet in the waiting room, except for the drone of a news channel on the small flat-screen TV. Katie stared blindly at the TV, the words meaning nothing to her. Nothing outside this place had any significance to her at this point.

The surgeon seemed unable to sit still. She paced around the waiting room like a tiger in a cage, until she finally came to stand by a window overlooking the city of Honolulu. The rain outside of the double paned window was pattering like the footfalls of giant animals, as large drops slammed against the glass panes and a cool breeze caused the fallen leaves to dance along the sidewalks. Perfectly manicured fingernails tapped along the windowsill as Katie's delicate fingers paused over the dark wood, slipping over the edge and gripping it tightly until her knuckles turned white. She turned slightly, pulling at her tee shirt and her gaze fell to the bright, moonlit night.

The pale white light cascaded over a massive courtyard below as the young surgeon leaned heavily against the smooth glass of the window and the cool air from outside chilled her skin, causing goose bumps to rise. The cold snap of air made her feel good. It made her feel alive. It was strange that she would welcome being cold as comfort, but she did.

It gave her something else to think about.

A thunderstorm was nature's own symphony of light and sound. Every ten seconds the night sky was illuminated by a spectacular streak of luminescence, followed almost immediately by a reverberating clap of deafening thunder. It was a natural phenomenon but a thousand years ago, people would have said that those calamities were the consequences of a battle between higher powers. Or that they were sent down as a punishment for the wrong-doing of man.

And tonight they wouldn't be wrong.

"Remember how I used to be so scared of thunderstorms?" Matt asked, coming to stand beside her at the window, "And you would let me sleep in your bed. You gave me that flashlight so that I could read until I settled down, but we used it to make shadow puppets instead?" Katie chuckled at the memory as he continued, "And because we made it into a game, it was less scary."

Understanding his subtle meaning, she put her arm around his shoulders and whispered, "This isn't a game, Matty. This is real."

"It wasn't really the game that made me feel better," he told her, leaning against her, "I felt better because you were there. You were always there when I was scared. So now it's my turn to be there for you."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she teased, "Which one of us is the parent here?" He didn't reply, so Katie hugged him closer and asked quietly, "Are you scared, Matty?"

"Yes," he answered simply and then added, "But Commander Steve is good at his job. And he promised me that he would be more careful. PLus, he was wearing his vest. And there are good doctors here to take care of him. So all of those things make me less scared."

"He told you that he would be more careful?" his mother asked, "When?"

"That day he came over to make us french toast," Matty answered, looking up at her, "He told me that he was so used to only worrying about himself that he got into a dangerous pattern. But now that he knew that his job scared you and that it would be hard for both us to deal with if he got hurt, he said he was going to try thinking a little more before he did certain things. Like a real grown up."

"Like a real grown up," Katie repeated, a smile coming to her lips. She hadn't asked him to do any of that, but he did it anyway. For her. For them. But no matter how many precautions he took, there was no way to prevent what had happened tonight. That was the uncertainty of working with the criminal element. And uncertainty was not an enjoyable place to for her to be. The fear and the anxiety and the scrambled emotions that she was sensing gripped her heart like an iron-clad vice…

"Grandma!"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Katie straightened at the sound of her son's voice and found a slight reserve of strength as the calming voice of Ava James filled the waiting room. Pasting a fake smile on her face, the doctor turned to face her mother and asked, "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I saw what happened on the news, dear," Ava replied kindly, untangling herself from Matt's welcoming hug. "I recognized Commander McGarrett's name and thought you would be here in some capacity."

"And dad, is he with you?"

She shook her head as she replied, "He has gone downtown to see if he could help in any way. You know your father…he's always in the middle of things like this." Their eyes met and Ava quietly put on a brave façade as she told her, "It gets easier, my darling. You will get used to it..."

Katie's sharp intake of breath was her only response as Ava's voice broke and trailed off, leaving a deafening silence between the two women. Looking over at Matt, the elder James woman pulled some money out of her purse and said, "Matty darling, would you run up to the cafeteria and get us some water or juice or something?"

Realizing that his grandmother wanted to talk to his mother in private, he took the money silently. But before he left, he asked quietly, "You'll come get me if someone comes out to talk to you?"

Katie nodded with a smile and watched him walk to the elevators before she turned to her mother and whispered, "This is a hell of a thing to get used to."

Ava smiled a sad smile in agreement as she continued, "Every time that your father left the house, we knew that there was a very real possibility that something could go wrong and we would never see him again. But, as you remember, we would just put it out of our minds so that we could…you know, live normal lives. And then, one by one, each of your brothers announced that they were going to follow your father into the military…"

Her mother's voice trailed off as she stared out at the thunderstorm and Katie simply waited for her to collect herself. Finally, after a few long and quiet minutes, her voice returned to normal strength as she continued, "And now, here you are…in love with a cop. And not just any cop…a man of action who enjoys being the thick of things, no matter the cost. He is completely noble and will drive you completely crazy. I see so much of myself in what you are going through tonight."

As her eyes filled with tears for the sorrow that her mother carried with her, Katie asked quietly, "How did you do it, mom? How did you keep from locking them all up in a basement somewhere and throwing away the key? How did you stand letting us leave your sight for even an instant?"

Ava looked up at the young woman she had raised and smiled through her unshed tears as she answered, "I baked. That's how."

"You baked?" Katie asked, laughing in spite of herself.

"Don't you remember all the cupcakes and pies and loaves of bread we would go through whenever your father was deployed?" Ava repeated, taking Katie's hand in hers, "And while I was thinking about baked goods, I had little time to think about other things. Things that break your heart and send shivers down your spine. So, shall I teach you how to bake?"

Katie studied her mother for a moment and then smirked as she said, "I haven't always been this officious, priggish, Mother-person, you know. Believe it or not, Matty did not inherit his behavior from Jimmy…as much as I hate to admit it, he's all mine."

"Yes darling, I remember," Ava reminded her with a smile playing on her lips as she grinned at her daughter' self-description and at the memory of a younger Katie. "Becoming a mother changed a lot more about us than just our girlish figures," Sobering a bit, she added, "From the first moment I learned that I would bear a child, I took the title of _'Mother'_ and wore it like a badge of honor, of pride and privilege. It became my life's work to nurture and to teach and to feed and clothe and protect and mend and discipline and defend and foster and shelter and shield and instruct and everything else that was part of a mother's duty, of a mother's love."

Ava smiled wistfully at her child and continued, "I spent a thousand sleepless nights by your bedsides, through illnesses and injuries. I shed a thousand tears on yours and your brothers behalf and wiped away a thousand more. I guess that the old tiger in me should be proud of your bravery, but the most terrifying thing I have ever done is to send my children out into the world, time and time again."

"I'm not brave, mom," Katie interrupted, not wanting her mother to allow herself to think anything different. "I'm scared to death. I have been since the moment they told me about Jimmy. And that kind of constant fear, that low-level anxiety changes you after a while and…"

"You are still a strong, brave woman," Ava scolded gently, "You have the best of your father and me in you. Which means that you will handle this relationship with Steve the same way you do everything else…with grace and intelligence and courage. Women do all kinds of things that test their limits for the men they love," her mother reminded her, putting her arm around her daughters' shoulder as she chuckled and added, "And most of the time the men in their lives don't even realize how much their decisions affect our daily sanity." The two women locked gazes as Ava whispered, "You do love him, don't you?"

"Love him?" Katie scoffed, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks, "I barely know him."

"Mmm hmmm," Ava hummed thoughtfully, smiling secretively at her daughter.

Katie nodded in defiance and sat heavily on a nearby chair, her mind buzzing. _Love him?_ They hadn't really had any time to figure out what she was feeling. But now there might not be any more time. If she could only have five minutes with Steve . . . she would have given years of her life for the chance to tell him how much he meant to her.

How much she wanted him.

How much she loved him.

"We're all creatures of complex needs and desires," Ava told her daughter, sitting next to her and taking her hand, "The only certain thing in a romantic relationship is that you will both change, and one morning you will wake up, go the mirror, and see a stranger. You will have what you wanted, and discover you want something different. You think you know who you are, and then you'll surprise yourself. In all the choices in front of you, Katie-did, one thing is clear: love is not something to be thrown away lightly."

Katie squeezed her mother's hand and when she looked up at her, the tears spilled over onto her cheeks. Ava gently wiped them away as she whispered, "There is something about this man, beyond coincidences of timing and opportunity, that drew you to him. Before you give up on the relationship . . . give him a chance. Be honest with him about your fears and work through them together."

The doctor thought of the Commander's dazzling grin, his midnight blue eyes, the beautiful severity of his face when he was sleeping. The thought of never seeing him again, never feeling the sweetness of his mouth against hers, caused an ache she could hardly bear. How many hours had she spent with Steve in silence, all words restrained by the limits of what her heart would allow. All those chances to be honest with him, and she'd taken none of them.

Katie realized at that moment that she loved Steve, and he might never know. She understood finally that the thing she should have feared most was not loss, but never loving. The price for safety was the regret she felt at that moment. And yet she would have to live with it for the rest of her life.

"I love him, mom," she whispered, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I know, baby," Ava whispered back, rubbing her daughter's back. "Now you have to tell him."

That was all they said for a while. Matty came back with drinks, Danny and Chin arrived with Malia a little while later and then another half hour passed while they all watched the weather channel, and the nurses brought sandwiches that no one ate. There was a quality of unreality to the situation, the tension growing exponentially as time passed.

"I wish I was a smoker," Katie suddenly said with a brittle laugh, walking around the waiting room with jittery energy. "This is one of those times when chain-smoking seems appropriate."

"Why don't we go stretch our legs?" Malia asked, leading the way out toward the hallway. But as soon as they stood up, a door on the opposite side of the waiting room opened and Dr. Marcus Connelly came in.

"Malia and Chin?" he asked quietly, looking around the waiting room, "Are you the family of Officer Kalakaua?"

Katie's stomach dropped and she was paralyzed, the fingers of one hand digging into the door frame as she watched Malia and Chin gather around the doctor. She watched his face, and their faces, trying to divine any reaction. If either Kono or Steve had died, the doctor would say so immediately. But he was speaking quietly, and neither Chin or Malia revealed any emotion other than bleached anxiety.

Unable to stand it anymore, Katie turned and walked down the corridor. She may not have been family, but she was an employee of this hospital. And someone was going to start giving her some answers. Pushing through the doors of the Shock Trauma, she marched in the direction of the nearby nurse's station.

"Katie."

The sound was so quiet, she barely heard it through the blood-rush in her ears. The doctor turned to look down the hallway. A man was coming toward her, his lean form clad in a pair of baggy scrub pants and a loose T-shirt. His arm was bandaged with silver-gray wrap and darkness seemed to creep into the hallway they were standing in. His shoulders held the weight of many burdens and tired, sad eyes almost seemed to look past her to something calling him in the distance. But she knew the set of those shoulders, the way he moved.

Steve.

Katie's eyes blurred, and she felt her pulse escalate to a painful throbbing. She began to shake from the effects of trying to encompass too much feeling, too fast.

"Is it you?" she choked.

"Yes. Yes. God, Katie . . ."

She covered the distance between them in only a few short strides and threw her arms around him, holding on with all that she had. Pressing both of her palms to his cheeks, her eyes shut in his embrace and she held to him dearly.

"Steve," she whispered into his shoulder and allowed a few unshed tears to roll down her face as his good arm closed around her in an intimate embrace.

He had come back.

And he was safe.

"You are safe," she murmured into his shoulder. "Thank God you are safe!"

Steve could feel the tension of the previous evening leave her body as she relaxed against his muscular frame. He breathed in the scent of her, fresh and lovely even here in the midst of so much sadness. He held her tight at first but gradually softened his grip on her, grateful for the comfort that her presence brought to him.

Breaking free of his embrace, Katie took a small step back to scrutinize him. Scanning his rugged face, she reassured herself that he was truly uninjured and her eyes misted with the pain and joy of his loss and return. Steve, too, took this time to study her. She looked so different from the last time he had seen her earlier in the evening. She was wearing old denim shorts and a faded tee shirt and her hair was untamed from the many hours she had spent raking her worried fingers through it. But her vivid eyes flashed up at him with gladness and he briefly forgot everything else around him and lost his breath - he thought she was that beautiful.

Lifting his hand to her face, his fingers rested against her jaw bone, thumb brushing tenderly against a dark smudge on her chin, he asked, "Did you really think that you were going to get rid of me that easily?"

His comment brought a smile to her lovely face, and she reached up to touch the rugged handsomeness of his face. Katie was terrified that she was hallucinating, conjuring an image of what she wanted most, that if she reached out she would find nothing but empty space. But Steve was there, solid and real, reaching around her with hard, strong arms. The contact with him was electrifying. She flattened herself against him, unable to get close enough and he murmured as she sobbed against his chest.

"Katie . . . sweetheart, it's all right. Don't cry. Don't . . ."

But the relief of touching him, being close to him, had caused her to unravel. It wasn't too late. The thought spurred a rush of euphoria. Steve was alive, and whole, and she would take nothing for granted ever again.

She fumbled beneath the hem of his T-shirt and found the warm skin of his back. Her fingertips encountered the edge of another bandage. He kept his arms firmly around her as if he understood that she needed the confining pressure, the feel of him surrounding her as their bodies relayed silent messages.

_Don't let go. _

_I'm right here. _

"I th-thought you might not come back," she whispered into his skin.

Steve's mouth, usually so soft, was rough and chapped against her cheek, his jaw scratchy with bristle. His voice was hoarse as he told her honestly, "I'll always come back to you."

She hid her face against his neck, breathing him in. His familiar scent had been obliterated by the antiseptic pungency of antiseptic dressings but she didn't care. Suddenly retreating into doctor mode, she reached farther over his back so that she could investigate the extent of his bandage, asking, "Where are you hurt?"

His fingers tangled in the smooth, soft locks of her hair as he assured her, "Just a few bruises and scrapes. Nothing to worry about." Katie felt his cheek tauten with a smile as he added, "All your favorite parts are still there."

They were both quiet for a moment and Katie realized that he was trembling, too. It was now or never.

"I love you, Steve," she said, and that started a whole new rush of tears, because she was so unholy glad to be able to say it to him. "I thought it was too late . . . I thought you'd never know, because I was a coward, and I'm so—"

"I knew," Steve interrupted, sounding shaken. He drew back to look down at her with glittering bloodshot eyes.

"You did?"

He nodded and whispered, "I figured I couldn't love you as much as I do, without you feeling something for me, too."

"I was so scared," she admitted in a whisper.

"So was I," he told her as he returned her smile and touched her lips soflty with his.

Against her mouth, he added in a hoarse whisper, "But knowing that you were here waiting for me made me want to come home all the more," before drawing her back into the comfort of his strong embrace, and then no more was said. He kissed her roughly, the contact between their mouths too hard for pleasure. She put her fingers to Steve's bristled jaw and eased his face away to look at him. He was battered and scraped and sun-scorched.

But he was there. And he loved her. And for the moment, that was all that mattered.


End file.
